


A Wilting Rose

by Puregold



Series: Camp Camp High High [1]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Also Amber is here from my fic "three legs and a warm heart", Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, David has adopted Max in this AU, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Makeouts, Past Child Abuse, Slow Burn, Stalking, Underage Drinking, also david is trans but hess not a major character here, also neil/harrison and nikki/nerris is implied, also the archive warning is b/c they're teens and Preston starts off dating an adult, be warned abt that, dadvid, death and rape threats in ch 10, max is trans and preston has adhd and theres nothin u can do to stop me, there's nothin gross goin on here and no explicit sex scenes, they all basically fed into the same highschool after elementary & middle school, they're just side ships tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-16 00:05:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11817048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puregold/pseuds/Puregold
Summary: ((I see you there, fretting over the tags and archive warnings!! Fear not, for I have made a disclaimer post on my tumblr-->https://puregold666.tumblr.com/post/164238771431/tw-for-talk-abt-abusive-relationships))I went back and edited shit abt parents because of episode 12College kids who prey on teens are fucking disgusting. This guy was, like, 26 from what I've heard, and he's dating a high school junior? Really? It hurts even more every time I hear him gushing about the dumb fuck. Especially since I can see the bruises on his neck when his scarf pulls.





	1. His Bare Shoulders

**Author's Note:**

> This tag switches perspectives btw between Preston & Max. Next chapter is Preston POV.

It was a couple weeks ago that I first noticed it. He got weirdly defensive about it, too. It was after school, and he was gushing about the his latest hyper fixation, some dumb musical called Dear Evan Hansen. It was about suicide or something, I dunno. Like I care. Anyways, he burst into song, and stood on the fucking concrete table and started goddamn voguing about, all _panache_ and _pizzazz_. Thank god it was just Nikki, Neil, Ered and Harrison left or else I probably would've died from second-hand embarrassment. So he was singing, all glamorous an beautiful an shit, an the lilac jacket he was wearing slipped off one shoulder and revealed a nasty, purple and red bruise all over, like somebody forcefully _grabbed_ him. I've seen shit like that before, experienced it, even, so naturally I questioned.

"What the fuck was that?" I had asked, eyes narrowed and finger pointing. His jacket sleeve was up in a flash and he sat on the table with a thick blush.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" He said, flustered as all hell. No one else seemed to have noticed, so it was up to _me_ to keep pressing.

"Your shoulder was all fucked up. What happened?" I persisted, growing suspicious.

His mouth was agape in shock as he continued. "Well- I- I have no idea what you're talking about, Max. A-and my shoulders are gorgeous! So, watch it!"

"Yeah, Max, what the fuck?" Asked Nikki, to my right.

"You sure you're feelin okay, Max? I didn't see anything." Commented Neil, to my left.

Caught in between the forces of my own prying, it was my turn to be flustered and defensive. "Well, yeah! That's 'cause you only got ta see it for a second!" I said with a snap of my fingers to emphasize the speed.

Preston got huffy. "Th-there's nothing wrong with my shoulders and I'm gorgeous, so. There." Everyone's attention was caught by a sleek black car pulling up in the driveway, and the smile of an all-too-perfect, rich, preppy, white hipster boy in the drivers' seat.

"Oh, there he is!" Said Preston with a little clap of his hands. He gathered his shoulder bag and sauntered his way over to the car, proclaiming loudly. "Hey, babe!"

I rolled my eyes and groaned. He was so obnoxiously sappy with his asshole boyfriend that it made me want to puke.

Anyway, that was a couple weeks ago, and I think about it every time he gushes about Sheldon. Like now. At the lunch table, the way he flicks his wrists and smiles when he talks as if he was in a cheesy rom-con. He's so happy that I think maybe I'd imagined it. Maybe I just wanted a reason to hate the guy other than the fact that he was _way_ too perfect. And way too perfect for _Preston_ , specifically.

"So, basically, he felt bad about it, and comes in with this _huge_ bouquet of roses for me and a teddy bear and recites this poem that he wrote himself. Ooh, I still have it!" He pulls a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and clears his throat as he begins to recite the dumb, cheesy thing. "Dearest Preston, my heart does go pitter-patter when I hear your feet turn the corner. Your love, so sweet, like honey dew-"

I decide to tune him out as he entertains Nerris with his theatrics. As I eat the lunchables that David got me and quickly tuck his stupid "Have a good day! :D" post-it-note in the pocket of my hoodie, I turn to Nikki.

"So, how was Friday? Was Ered's party all that she said it would be?"

Nikki goes wild-eyed and ecstatic when I ask, proclaiming. "Fuck yes it was! There were balloons, and confetti, and a bunch of unhealthy snacks, and she had a CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN!" The grin on her face only grew as she talked. "Dude, her family's LOADED! Nurf even broke the chandelier, and instead of getting all pissy about it, she was just like "nah, dude, s'cool. I'll just buy a new one with my boss's credit card" HAHAH!" Nikki cackled at the reminiscence of her mischief, and it made me crack a grin thinking about creating a huge mess and punishing some asshole manager for it.

"You forgot about the part where it _almost killed me_." Commented an exasperated Neil. "Seriously! He couldn't have waited until I was at least _a few more feet to the right!?_ "

"But your still alive, now aren't you?" I reply with a grin.

Neil goes wide-eyed. "STILL!"

Soon enough, the bell for lunch to end rings, and we all head to our respective classes. P.E. sucks and I hate everything about it, so I really don't hesitate to take the bathroom pass to hide for the last 30 minutes of class.

Of course, what I didn't expect to see right when I open the bathroom door, is Preston in front of the mirror with his shirt lifted up, a frown on his face as he examines a gnarly bruise the size of Texas covering his left abdomen. 

"Holy fuck, dude." I say, wide-eyed and bewildered.

"Max!" Replies Preston in fright, quickly pulling his shirt back down and almost tripping and falling when he backs up towards the door.

"What the fuck happened?" I ask, almost angry. Wait, why am I angry?

"I- I got hit." Replies Preston, and the look on my face prompts him to continue in shock and fear. "Not- Not, like, _abused_ -type hit! Like, with a ball. It was an accident."

"W- why are you so damn flustered if it was an accident!? And how fucking hard was the ball thrown to have hurt you _that_ bad? Not to mention, this is the second time I've seen you with bruises, dude! I'm not an idiot!" I don't even realize I'm raising my voice when Preston winces.

"Keep your fucking voice down!" He whisper-shouts, blush apparent from being found out. "Listen, you little shit, I will _not_ have you poking around _my_ love life just for shits and giggles! Okay!? I got hit with a ball and that's _final_."

I take a deep breath and count on my fingers as I talk. "One, I never said anything about your love life, two, abuse is not "for shits and giggles", and three, _I don't believe you_."

Preston seems to weigh his options, leaning on the wall and crossing his arms as he thinks. It's a good thing it's just the two of us in here.

He takes a deep breath. "Okay." He bites his lip. "We may have- gotten into, like, a fight last night. It was mostly verbal, though, and it was _my_ fault! I kept pestering him and then he got angry and I got angry, and, he, I-" He sighs. "He pushed me into the coffee table. But that's _it_. He didn't mean to, and he was really sorry after, and we watched movies and cuddled. I'm fine."

Hearing him talk about himself like that only made me angrier. "No, Preston! You're not fine! He's a grown ass adult, he should know how to control his emotions! And- and abuse is _never_ your fault."

"I wasn't abused!" Retorted Preston, voice cracking as he trembled, tears sliding down his cheeks. He sniffled and wiped at his eyes as he continued. "Look, nothing happened. I'm _fine_. And I don't need you going around telling people I was abused and making them think something about me that's not true."

The conversation was upsetting him, and as much as it made you angry to think he was being abused, it also hurt to see him _cry_. So I sighed, determined not to be a second source of anxiety for him. "Fine. I'll keep my trap shut about it, okay?"

Preston nodded, though the tears were already flowing and his voice wavered as he spoke. "And don't tell anyone I cried, either."

"Fine." I replied, biting my lip. "But... God, Preston, people shouldn't hurt you and you shouldn't _stay_ with people who do." And that's my final comment as I head back to class, head reeling, all with thoughts about Preston and his shitty situation.


	2. I'm Fine

Who the hell does Max think he is, trying to poke holes in my life. Sheldon is really good for me! Sure, he's hit me a few times, but that's really the only downside, and it's only when he's angry. He's smart, sweet, funny, we're interested in all the same things, not to mention he's in _college!_. His friends are all theater kids too and they readily accept me into their group. They have all kinds of connections in the theater art world, _and_ he's rich and pampers me.

I huff as I make my way back to French 3, having washed my face of its _stupid_ tears in the bathroom. And, contrary to what Max probably thinks, I wasn't crying about _Sheldon_ , I was crying about _him_. I know that Max likes to scheme and fuck around in places he isn't supposed to. It's part of what I used to find very attractive about him, until Sheldon came and swept me off my feet.

I reflect with dreamy eyes to when we met. I went to a gay club, The Vortex, with Nerris & Nurf tagging along. Going in a group is always safer! Anyways, it was minor's night, an event for lgbt teens to party and drink non-alcoholic beverages. Sheldon just happened to be there, hanging out at the bar when he approached me to dance! We got to talking, and ended up spending the whole evening together bonding over shared interests.

Of course, Nerris was suspicious, and so were quite a _few_ of our friends, but I assured them that it was fine. Except, of course, _Max_ , the little skeptic that he is. Just cause he shut up about it didn't mean he supported it. In fact, he once met Sheldon, and _immediately_ accused him of being creepy, gross, and predatory. The nerve!

That's another thing I used to like about him. His stubbornness. He's also incredibly insightful and smart, though cynical. But, whatever, it was just a kiddy crush. And now he's trying to meddle in my personal life and I am absolutely having _none_ of it.

Not to mention, my gramma's a working-class single lady. We don't exactly have all the accommodations of the world, and Sheldon would always help pay for groceries, or pay the rent, etc. He _really_ was a sweet guy!

**~TW abuse talk, victim blaming, kinda graphic~**

Besides, he'd only ever hit me twice, and both times it'd been my fault. We'd gotten in a silly argument over where to go for dinner that quickly escalated. I wasn't listening, and... He might've grabbed my shoulders and shook me. It really didn't hurt that bad, it looked worse than it actually was. Of course _Max_ was the one who had to notice the fucking bruises. I didn't have a story planned. After all, the bruises were pretty specific in placement, and I just assumed that if I had them covered all the time nobody would ask or notice. But I slipped. And anyways, that happened _weeks_ ago. The bruises have practically all but faded.

The other time was last night. We were arguing, again. He said that the Heather's musical was shit, that the movie was better, and I disagreed. It escalated, and... He shoved me. Into a coffee table. After that, he kicked my left side a few times, the one that... Landed into the table. But afterwards, he was so _sweet_ and _sorry_. We went out to eat and he treated me to a spa day. It was nice.

**~TW over~**

Anyway, it's fine. As long as I don't piss him off again like that, everything will be fine. He'll keep pampering me, helping out with my home life, and I'll maintain the connections I've made with his college friends. Networking is important, especially in the theater business. In fact, he'd already got me a part in a student film! It was all artsy and shit, and basically I was gonna be a little angel ghost boy that walks some girl through the afterlife. It's SO creative!

"Preston." Said the French teacher, Madame Deponte, catching me out of my thoughts.

"What? Yes?" I asked, startled, some of our fellow classmates giggling.

"Qu'est ce que tu as fait ce week-end?" She asked with a smile.

I grinned. "Practique pour la théâtre."

"Ooh, oui! La théâtre!" She then turned to the class.

"Preston est?" She asked. The class replied with "Un acteur" and she nodded.

She then continued asking students what they'd done for the weekend and whatever else. It's not like I _needed_ to pay attention or anything. I'm so good at French I'm practically fluent. My gramma immigrated from France, so I have her to practice with. (I know nothing of my father or my grandparents on his side, and honestly, I don't give a fuck.)

After school, everyone else left earlier, so it was just me, Dolph and Ered, which is great, considering that they're both super into the arts and Ered is really cool. Outside of them, a few other kids who were in the play sat with us, and we traded stories about what was going on with our lives.

"You should've been at Ered's party, Preston!" Said Dolph, accent apparent. "It was a stupendous experience!"

"Yeah, it's whatever." Said Ered, grinning as she continued. "It was pretty fun. Nikki got cross-faded. But don't tell Neil, he'd flip."

I cackled. "Oh my god! Really? That's absolutely insane. She seems like a lightweight to me, is she?"

Ered shrugged. "With weed? Yeah. It was her first time smoking so no tolerance. Alcohol? Nah. Girl can keep it down." Ered then made the spider man/rock 'n roll sign with her hand.

"It certainly was funny." Commented Dolph. "Harrison's more simple magic tricks were 10x as impressive to Nikki than normal, and she started crying when Ered's  
pomeranian came in the room."

"Nurf broke the chandelier." Said Ered with a nod.

"So I've heard." I replied with a grin. "The trio was talking about it at lunch. Did you really pay for it with your step-dad's credit card?"

"Yeah." Replied Ered with a laugh. "The guy's a jackass who thinks he can boss me around. Like, dude, you've only been around a couple years, you need to learn your place."

"Damn right!" I reply, and the three of us high-five each other.

"Rehearsal was basically the same." I say nonchalantly.

"Basically?" Said Ered with a raised eyebrow.

"Basically." I confirmed with a nod. "One of the freshmen fell off the stage and nearly sprained his ankle." I laughed. "He's, like, the baby of the group, so everyone was like "OH NO! OH GOD! OH SHIT! NOT OUR SON!" It was hilarious."

"We also played Never Have I Ever and Truth or Dare."

"Now _that's_ something I'm interested in." Said Dolph.

I shook my head. "What happens in the drama room stays in the drama room."

Ered rolled her eyes. "Buzzkill."

Just then, my gramma's maroon SUV pulled into the driveway, and I smiled as I threw on my brown shoulder bag and made my way to her car, waving a quick goodbye to my friends, and slipped into the passengers seat. My gramma and I kissed each other's cheeks in greeting as I sat.

"Evening, mother!" I exclaimed.

"Evening, Preston." Replied my gramma with a more enthusiastic voice than usual. "How was school?" She asked as she began to drive us home. "Sorry I was so late."

"Good. And it's not a problem, mama. I was hanging out with Erid and Dolph. How was your day?" I asked with an bright smile.

"Oh, it was fine." She then rolled her eyes. "If only the shit idiot rat BASTARD of a manager I have knew how to run a business!" I laugh, her growing more animated and her french accent coming out more the faster she talks. "Seriously, some idiot old woman came in to the diner today trying to order some complex bullshit for her and her fucking group of 6-"

The more she talks, the harder I laugh, and it escalates to the point that I'm in tears, and out of nowhere I feel a sharp pain in my side as my stomach hurts from laughing. I gasp, sitting up straight and grabbing my side in shock.

"What's wrong, honey?" Asks my gram-gram, her turning to me with a concerned expression.

"Aha, nothing, mama." I reply, blushing a bit in embarrassment. "I hurt myself at rehearsal, is all. We have a big fight scene that we were blocking. Another kid got hurt, too, mama, it's no big deal."

"Well, let me see it." She said as we approached our little 2-bed 1-bath apartment. "I have neosporin an bandages in the bathroom, sweetheart."

"No, it's fine. Just a little bruise! Nothing to worry about, mother."

Gramma seemed a bit suspicious and reluctant to let me take care of it myself, always wanting to baby me, but I ended up convincing her to let me handle it. Afterwards, I hurried off to my room to relax and scroll through my tumblr feed. Phew, that was close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to meet other gay guys at "minors night" is an IMMEDIATE RED FLAG, Preston!
> 
> Chapter 3 soon, and in comes.... DAVID!!!


	3. David's Much Needed Advice

Of course you're one of the first to get picked up today and David comes charging in, "Happy" by Pharell Williams playing on the radio and [Amber](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11723958) in the front seat, ears perked and tail wagging in excitement to see you. Of course he fucking brought Amber. No wonder the whole damn school gives you weird looks every time his happy cheesy-grin lookin' ass pulls up.

Nikki absolutely CANNOT control herself in the presence of any dog, Amber being no exception. In fact, she bounds over to David's white mini van before I can even pack up my stuff.

"Later, losers." I call back behind me, leaving as Amber receives affectionate hugs and kisses from the local wild child.

"Same to you!" Hollers Neil as you leave, climbing into the backseat. Amber immediately leaves Nikki at the window and climbs back to lay down beside me, head in my lap.

"Bye, Max!" Says Nikki, then with a starry-eyed look. "Bye, Amber!"

Amber shares the affection by barking and sniffing in Nikki's direction as David pulls out of the parking lot. "Later, gang!" He shouts as he drives by.

"How was school today, Max?" He asks with a wide grin, turning down the music.

"Mmm. Mediocre." I reply as I scratch behind Amber's ears and make faces at her. "Preston's a dumbass but you can't tell anybody."

"Language." Comments David, eyes trained on the road. "And why do you say that? Well, I guess, why do you say that today specifically?"

I sigh and groan. "I probably shouldn't tell you, cause, like, your a responsible adult an stuff an Preston would hate me, but..."

Amber looks up at me and nips at my fingers playfully, and I make the ">:/" face at her. Goddamn it. David's practically dog trained me to talk about every little issue I come across since he adopted me. It's no use resisting, because if I do, I let it eat away at me until I just blurt it out at him in a fit of anger and tears. And I'm not gonna let myself be all shitty and bottled up with _this_ particular issue.

"Remember when I told you about the bruises on Preston's shoulders?" I begin. David nods. "Well, basically, I was right. His boyfriend's just as bad a I thought." I sigh painfully at the memory. "He was in the bathroom today with a nasty bruise all over his side, and first he tried to lie, then told me that his idiot boyfriend threw him into a coffee table but it was "no big deal""

I throw up my hands in exasperation. "As if that's no big deal! And he's all " _it won't happen again, he loves me, blah blah blah_ ," but I see right through that shit."

"I know you do, Max." David replied. "Why did you say you shouldn't tell me?"

"He says he doesn't want people to "think he's being abused" or whatever, even though he fucking _is_. Like, urrg!" I make a fart noise with my mouth and turn to Amber, petting her anxiously. Soft things calm me down and also Amber's great. "He's in fucking denial. He probably thinks that being abused makes him weak or something _stupid_..."

I hear David in the front seat take a deep breath and I continue looking at Amber. The stupid idiot can read my mind. Because, if Preston thinks that being abused makes people weak or bad or something, then does he think _I'm_ weak? Why do I care if he thinks I'm weak? I'm fucking not, but, still. And I might be spiteful, but I'm not _bad_. That's always a label I've hated and rejected. I was always a "broken" kid, or a "troubled child", but I'm fucking _not_. The first time I'd been told that I wasn't, but rather that I was brave, and strong, was... David.

Fucking happy asshole.

"I doubt he thinks that. He's probably in denial over it because, well, it's never happened to him before. He never expected it to." Soon, David's pulling in to the driveway of our house. It's all quaint and cutesy, painted white and blue. "But, yes. It's a problem that he's in that situation."

"And the stupidest thing about it, is, like, he can leave anytime he wants!" I Vented as I got out the car, helping three-legged Amber hobble out and inside the house after me.

"The thing with having abusive parents is you can't just _leave_ them. A million investigations have to be done before that and the whole time you gotta live with them and just hope they don't kill you for getting them in trouble." I drop my bag on the couch as I make my way into the kitchen for a snack, still refusing to look at David. "Preston can leave his shitty boyfriend any time he wants. And if the asshole is all like "well, I'll kill myself," fucking good! And if he's all like "I'll kill you if he leave" then he sure as fuck can _try_ , but if he came after Preston I'd fucking gouge his eyes out with a rusty spoon. See who's weak now, motherfucker." I feel my face heating up in anger and get embarrassed that I let out an outburst like that. Of course, David just carries on like usual, but with the hint of _I-know-what-your-going-through-and-it's-okay_.

Coy fucker.

"I understand where you're coming from, but I think the situation is a bit more complex than that, Max." Says David with a frown as he grabs a Nature Valley bar and plops himself on the couch, turning on Animal Planet for background noise. "He obviously thinks that there's reason to stay with him that somehow outweighs the physical abuse. Maybe you should talk to Gwen? She's the one with a psych major. Not me."

I roll my eyes as I plunk down next to him on the couch, chowing down on some goldfish. "No. I already told you an according to Preston I wasn't supposed to tell _anyone_ , lest people care about him an want to actually help him."

"I know you're upset, but..." David takes a deep breath, composing his thoughts. "I think you need to realize Preston's side of things. Look through his lenses, y'know? I, uh, was once in your situation."

I turn to him quizzically and he continues. "I was friends with a girl in college named Emma. She was a really close part of our group! She met a guy, and he was really sweet at first, and he definitely _acted_ sweet around us. It turned out that he was hurting Emma, and we pleaded, begged her to go. But she stayed! Or, at least, for a couple weeks longer. What was important was that we offered her love and a safe haven. Preston is very... Proud. So it'd probably be difficult for him to accept help from others like that."

I huff. "Yeah, I guess. I just really wanna strangle his fucking boyfriend."

"Language." Warns David as he tunes back in to Animal Planet, Max playing Pokemon on his DS at his side.


	4. The Trio Speaks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They ruin a car owned by a trump supporter this chapter so if ur against fictional anarchy or support trump ya might not wanna read lol.

"Where's Amber?"

"Nikki, she doesn't come to every goddamn park with me. She's at home."

"Aww." Said Nikki with a frown, her and Neil standing below a tree in the local park, within walking distance of each of your homes.

"You got my hopes up, Max. I got dog cravings!"

"Go find a squirrel." I reply as Neil and I sit in the grass, leaning against the tree.

"Okay!" Replied Nikki, instantly perking up and scrambling up the tree.

"Don't damage your DS!" hollered Neil after her.

"Yeah, yeah." Said Nikki, making a fart noise in his direction. She made her way up half the tree and seated herself on a branch, feeding nuts to a local squirrel who was residing within a hole inside said tree. How she manages to tame wild animals like that, I'll never know.

"Come to my town, guys. I got a fuck-ton of carnations to pick and I'm only one man." Said Neil, opening his DS.

"Sure thing, Mayor Poindexter." Neil rolls his eyes at my jab and the three of us connect your DS's and connect to Neil's town, _Athens_. (In case anyone was wondering, my town's called _FuckThePolice >:)_ and, yes, David disapproves).

The three of us played for about 30 more minutes, switching between each others' towns, when the topic of conversation changes to something I'd really much rather _not_ talk about. "Hey, did you hear that Preston and Mark hurt themselves at play rehearsal?" Asked Nikki with a giggle.

"Oh, is that what he told you?" I spoke before I could think, mentally kicking myself.

"Oh cmon, Max. You're not seriously still on about that whole 'I saw bruises on his shoulders' thing from weeks ago, are you?" Asked Neil. Damn nerd. Read me like a book. Well, kinda.

"Ooh~ Max is thinkin' about his cru-ush!~ He's jealousssss." Said Nikki, quite annoyingly.

I couldn't help my embarrassed blush. "Shut up. If you were more observant you 'probly woulda seen it too!"

"I don't enjoy oggling Preston." Commented Nikki.

"Unlike _some people_." Followed up Neil. 

"I do not "oggle" him! He was walking on the damn table! In my path of sight." I huffed. "Whatever. I'm just, like..." It took a while before I mumbled out "...worried..." much to Nikki's squealing delight.

"Oh my God. I'd be worried if I thought any of my friends were in a bad situation, Jesus."

"Yeah, "friends", like Preston." Said Neil, the two of them ganging up on me relentlessly.

"Hey Neil, how's Harrison?" I ask with a coy smile.

"Don't you turn this around on me!" Accused Neil, blushing.

Nikki doubled over in laughter, and Neil countered with. "How was last nights 'D&D session' with Nerris, huh, Nikki?"

Nikki sat up abruptly. "Great, actually! Of course we started off actually playing, but a few more rolls for seductions later, and the two of us were-"

Neil and I start yelling to overpower Nikki describing her love life to us. That girl has no shame, Neil, you goddamn idiot.

Nikki giggled at our exasperation, having won in this battle of embarrassed-about-our-crushes.

"See, unlike you two, I'm actually straight-forward about what I want. And I get it!"

"It's not like I can 'go get what I want' when he's _literally dating someone_ , Nikki."

"So, Neil? what's your excuse?" Prompted Nikki slyly.

Neil just made uncomfortable noises and gestures before picking up his DS and trampling all over Nikki's flowers, receiving a shocked gasp and declaration of war from her. Then the three of you were back to playing and chatting.

A couple hours later, and Nikki starts talking about how "Nurf and Ered said they're gonna go wail on broken cars in the junkyard. Wanna come, Max?"

General destruction is always a plus for me, and I _definitely_ need an outlet for my violent tendencies after this week. I can imagine the face of Preston's boyfriend for every window I smash in!

"Yeah, sure." I reply nonchalantly. "Sounds like something David would disapprove of, so I'm gonna text him before we go."

"Have fun with that, you _violent heathens_." Says Neil jokingly as he starts walking home. "I'm gonna go home and play Minecraft. Later!"

Nikki and I wait in the parking lot for Ered to come pick us up (she's a grade older than the rest of us and actually has a car and license), and David replied about how he's glad that I'm hanging out with friends and "externalizing my feelings", but very much disapproves of the legality issue!! I snicker as I put my phone away. He's such a sucker.

"Ready to go?" Asked Ered, Nurf in the seat beside her. He's really improved himself since the first year of camp, to be honest. He's still a hot-head, but now he channels it into bullying other bullies and playing basketball.

"Drive, mamacita!" Explains Nikki as the two of us climb in the back seat, Ered not even waiting for us to buckle up as she drives off.

"I have my board and Mr. Ross's test papers in the trunk, so like. Probly gonna burn it an do some sick tricks around the fire. Maybe ramp over it? Who knows."

I laugh, surprising everyone else and say, "Dude, that's awesome."

"A happy emotion? In _my_ Max?"

"It's more likely thank you think." Says Nikki, finishing Ered's meme quote.

I roll my eyes. "Anarchy is the only thing that brings me joy."

Nikki wiggles her eyes at me, code for 'and Preston', and I greatly resent her for it.

Soon enough, we pull up at the junkyard and Ered parks behind some bushes. We all get out of the car and each of us carries a big-ass _pile_ of paperwork to the center of the junkyard, throw them on top of each other, and then Ered starts pouring a bottle of whiskey all over it.

I grab the bottle from Ered once it's half poured-out and start chugging, to the encouragement of my friends. I'm about 3/4 through it when Nurf snatches it out of my hands and starts chugging himself.

"Guys, I have a case of beer in the trunk! Chillax!" Says Ered with a laugh as Nurf breaks the empty bottle by smashing it through the window of a rusty old car nearby.

"WOO! FUCK YEAH!" Shouts Nurf, pounding his chest as Ered goes to her starting point, about 6 feet away from the make-shift ramp of garbage.

"Light that shit!" Shouts Ered, blasting _Metric_ on her portable speaker from her phone. I happily oblige, rolling up the sleeves of my hoodie to go light the liquor-drenched pile of papers.

The rest of us watch with eager faces as Ered accelerates, approaching the ramp, then skates off it and over the fire with middle-fingers in the air as she jumps. We all lose our fucking minds in the hype, laughing and shouting as Ered continues skating around the yard. Nurf grabs a baseball bat and smashes the door of a car in, before grabbing the door with his bare hands and wrangling it off its hinges.

I grab a crowbar with excitement and climb on top of the car, slamming and stabbing into it with a laugh. Soon enough, Nikki joins in too, and it's just the three of you beating the shit out of an old car as Ered skateboards. It really is a release to imagine Sheldon's stupid, idiot hipster face as I _wail_ on this fucking car. Homecoming's coming up and I know he's gonna fuckin go with Preston. I dunno if I'll be able to stop myself from breaking his kneecaps when I see him, so for now I try to take it all out on the seats of the car.

As we continue bullshitting around the junkyard, the sun starts setting, and we're all tuckered out, drinking beer beside our shitty fire-pit.

"Like, he's legit the shittiest teacher I've ever had," Says Ered, winged eyeliner somehow still intact. "And acts like some big authority over me. He's all 'do this, do that, no you can't do that'. Like. Who put you in charge, dude? Go fuck yourself."

"Yeah! Don't let anyone tell you what to do!" Says Nikki with a cackle. "Last time one a my dad's friends tried ta do that, he lost a pinkie!"

"Jesus, Nikki! What'd you do?" I asked, bewildered by the chaos this girl causes.

Nikki shrugs. "I was 8 and he needed a place to crash, so he lived with my dad an I. He got all bossy, so I bit his pinkie off!"

"That's hardly that bad." Says Nurf.

"You two are the craziest motherfuckers I've ever met." I say as I take my last sip of beer.

Ered's stomach growls. "Fuuuck, I'm hungry." she whines, standing. "Let's head over to that gas station down the road."

"Sure thing." Says Nikki as the rest of us get up and head over to the car.

"Max, that thing's dirty as hell." Says Nikki as she frowns, looking at the rusty crowbar in my hands as Ered starts the car.

"Yeah. David's gonna be freaked out as hell." I say with a mischievous grin.

"Okay but don't come crawlin' to me when you get tetanus! Also, keep it away from Amber!" Says Nikki, my dog coming first and foremost to her in any situations involving my household.

"Yeah, yeah." Time passes, and we arrive at the gas station parking and locking the car as we all pile inside to hoard up on snacks and soda.

"Max." Says Nurf, tapping you shoulder as Ered pays and directing your attention out the window. "Check it." My gaze falls on a pick-up truck with bumper stickers praising guns and Trump and bashing gays and POC.

"Oh, perfect." I say with an eye roll, before an idea comes to mind and I grin with ill intent. As we leave the store, I lay down my plan in hushed tones to the others.

Ered puts our snacks in her car and waits in the drivers seat with the ignition turned to be our get-away driver. The rest of us go grab some cans of spray-paint from the trunk and Nurf pulls out his pocket-knife.

Nurf slashes all the tires and puts numerous scratches in the paint-job, Nikki spray-paints over the bumper stickers, and I smash the windows.

The guy working notices what we're doing as the car's alarm starts going off, but since we're the only other ones there, (whoever owns the car must be in the bathroom), gives us a wink and pretends not to notice, popping in some earbuds.

"One last thing. Gimme the spray-paint." I say as Nikki and Nurf run over to the car, Nikki tossing me the red spray-paint as she goes. I take the opportunity to draw a dick on the guy's door, with the caption 'Suck my big Indian dick'.

I then throw myself in the back seat hurriedly, Ered's tires screeching as we peel out. Nikki and I glance over our shoulders and see an angry white dude in a confederate flag shirt come outside with his arms in the air, and we burst out in laughter.

"Suck my big Indian dick?" Asks Ered as we get a good distance away, smiling.

"I woulda put 'suck my big _black_ dick', but that wouldn't be entirely accurate.

They start laughing and I join in, after a while stating. "Like, the dude wants me dead or outta the country or whatever, but guess what? I'll bash your brains in, dude. Hell no."

"Fuck. Now you got us on some government watch list, Max." Says Nurf.

I roll my eyes. "It was a spoken conversation. They got nothin on me."

We spend the rest of the evening pigging out at Ered's place and playing Guitar Hero when David comes to pick me up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so late! Gave myself carpel tunnel from typing on shitty school computers! Also, I totally may allude to some fukin Neil/Harrison and Nikki/Nerris shit here lol. I'm gay.


	5. Coffee & Student Films

An orange leaf falls from a tree planted outside, gliding down to the sidewalk pavement. I take a whiff of my pumpkin spice coffee before taking a sip, a smile breaking across my face in excitement for the autumn season.

"Whatcha thinkin' about, babe?" Asks Sheldon from across the table, surrounded by talented college kids at a table in a popular downtown cafe, _The Mudhouse._

"I'm just excited for October, is all!" I reply. "It's so fun and festive! I get to dress up and fall fashion is just the best."

"Fully agreed." Comments Arianna, a hipster lady wearing a beanie, flannel and yoga pants. She's the one who I'm acting in a student film for. "All the channels play horror movies all the time. And the good ones, too. Like, the old ones."

"I'm surprised you went with mortality for this assignment rather than horror." Comments another one of Sheldon's friends, Franklin.

Arianna laughs. "Oh, believe me. It has a lotta horror elements. Like, it starts out with the girl all sick in bed, and the lighting is dark and there's like black vines and mist creeping in. There's a bunch of bumps and thumps too, and she's all stressed out and stuff, and then lets out her final breath! Then in comes Preston-" She says, gesturing to me with show hands, the others smiling in acknowledgement of my acting prowess. "And he guides her through a scary forest to the afterlife. It's super cool."

"It sounds very creative! I can't wait to be able to direct my own stuff like that." I admit sheepishly, to the assurance of the others.

"Aww, that's so cute." Comments Penelope, the flower child of the group. "Don't worry hun, you'll get there eventually. And with the connections and recommendations from us, you'll be a star in no time!"

"I can't wait to see you on the big screen." Says Sheldon with a grin as he reaches across the table to hold my hand. "In the theater, I'm gonna be all like- 'that's my babe!! There he is! Mwuah!"

I laugh excitedly. "That's the dream! I'm so glad I met you."

"Me too!" Replies Sheldon as he leans forward, planting a kiss on my cheek. "You're a treat, babe. I love you."

The others 'd'aww', and after coffee Arianna drives us over to her grandma's house to record the film.

Once inside, I am met with Arianna's cousin, a 10-year-old girl who's in middle school at a different school district, who's going to be playing the part of the dead girl in the film.

"Greetings!" I say with a hand extended towards her. "Excited to meet my co-star."

She shyly returns the hand-shake and cracks a smile. "Hey."

Arianna then takes her cousin upstairs to get her dressed and ready for the film, and I am left downstairs with Penelope, Franklin and Sheldon, who will be helping with my makeup and wardrobe. Penelope plucks a white men's leotard out of the closet and I strip, not at all shy or ashamed. We're professionals! Besides, I've changed with co-stars before for the school plays. It doesn't bother me much at all.

I work the leotard over the bottom half of my body, Sheldon ogling me as I do, and once I get it to my waist I cast off my shirt to change the rest of the way. I neglect to notice Sheldon trying to warn me, and before I know it, Penelope and Franklin are gasping in shock.

"Oh my God! What happened? Poor baby, are you okay?" Asks Penelope, fawning over my bruised side.

"O-oh, it's nothing!" I reply promptly, suddenly nervous. "I just-"

"He fell down the stairs." Responds Sheldon for me. "My clumsy little deer." He says affectionately as he stands behind me and runs his fingers through my hair.

I laugh and agree. "Yeah, it was the dead of night and I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Okay, well, I'll make sure to be gentle while powdering you up.

After the leotard is fully on and adjusted, Penelope starts using baby powder to make myself look ghostly and ashy, even sprinkling some in my (perfect!) hair.

Soon enough, the shoot starts, and they record the scene of the girl on her death bed. I appear, slowly extending a hand, and beckoning her to follow. After that, we all pile in the car again to go to the next location, which are the woods just outside of town. Un-populated, so no one will be around to bother us.

Arianna sets up her camera filter so that it looks darker and a bit creepier, really making the shadows pop. Unfortunately, it's really difficult terrain to move across, especially barefooted (no, the thin-ass leotard covering your feet does _not count_ ). We have to record the same scenes multiple times due to this, and it ends up in everyone getting a bit exasperated and frustrated with me.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry." I explain tiredly. "I'll just- like- ignore the thorns or twigs or whatever. Does it have to be silent?"

Arianna shakes her head. "No, I'm putting sound effects and music and stuff over it. All I need is you just walking, like, totally calm, and her following you all confused and scared and stuff."

"Okay. 20th times the charm." I reply, moving back to my starting place at the beginning of the woods with Arianna's cousin behind me.

"Action!" Calls Franklin, and I begin my trek into the woods, careful about my footing, but keeping my expression distant. It's a good thing I have a relatively high pain tolerance, because about 3/4 of the way through the path, my bruised abdomen starts _throbbing_ out of nowhere, and it takes all my self-control to power through till the cameras are off. The instant Franklin calls "cut", I'm kneeling on the floor and clutching my side.

"Ow, fuck." I say, panting just a bit and holding in my tears. Everyone is concerned as hell within seconds, the girls crowding over me and helping me up, but Sheldon's a bit more. He's concerned, but he's also mad. No one else can tell, but I can. Especially from the way he clutches my hand too hard when he carries me to the car.

"I'm fine." I insist, partially out of fear and partially out of pride. "Just being dramatic!"

Of course, Sheldon and I are the first to be dropped off, at his nice, upper-middle-class house, and the instant we're inside, I swallow the lump in my throat and decide to say something. If he _really_ loves me, then he'll understand it's not my fault I'm hurting.

"It's not like I could help it, Sheldon!" I exclaim, sitting on the couch and clutching at my side, my body trembling as I hold back tears. "It really fucking hurts sometimes! I-I'm..." I sigh. He's not even looking at me, sitting at the kitchen table with his back turned.

"I love you, Sheldon. I really do." I say nervously. "But you _can't_ keep hurting me like that. I deserve respect."

He's silent for a bit, before chuckling. "You're a fucking idiot, Preston." I feel my heart sink. "I let you hang out with me and my friends- get roles in productions better than shitty highschool plays. I buy you things, help out you and your gramma..."

**~TW: Victim blaming, graphic depictions of abuse. Cycle of abuse.**

"What have you done for me but fucking _whine_?" He accuses, standing up and making his way towards me. He's glaring and I can feel the tension coming off his body.

"S-stay away from me!" I say, hoping to sound firm, but instead it just comes across as desperate. "You hurt me when you're mad and your mad right now!"

"Oh shut the fuck up, Preston!" He shouts. "It's the only fucking way to get through that thick skull of yours! Whenever your being irrational and stupid-" He comes closer, closing the distance between us, and I scuttle towards the other end of the couch and throw a pillow at him. "Like THAT!" He growls, swiping the pillow out of mid-air.

I scream in shock and fear as he grabs my jaw, angling my face towards his as I grab onto his wrist and cry, curling my legs up and pressing my feet to his chest, hoping to push him away. But he's bigger and stronger than me, so he pushes my legs back down and grabs my throat.

"Listen to me. Listen to me. Shut the fuck up and-" I feel the tears slide down by cheeks and my throat ache as I attempt to hiccup, my head throbbing as he smacks me. "Listen. Without me, you'd be _nothing_. You'd go back to being some basic highschool bitch like the rest of them. You need my money, my connections- Just. Quit. Whining."

He releases me and stomps back down the hall towards his room, and I cough and clutch a pillow off the couch close to me in pain and fear. Part of me wants to just bolt as quick as I can and not look back, but the other part of me is frozen. My head's throbbing, my throat aches and my cheek stings. I tremble and shake as I curl in on myself, and a couple minutes later, he comes back with an entirely different demeanor.

"Hey." He says softly as he sits next to me, throwing a blanket over my shoulders and wrapping his arms around me in a gentle hug. I shiver, and I want to push him away and run, but I'm also terrified and could really use the comfort.

So I cave, leaning against his now gentle touch as I cry myself out in his arms. He rubs my back as I do, and I hate it so much, but. He's right. I can't risk my career by breaking up with him. So instead he texts my gramma that I'm staying the night at his, and although he falls asleep that night easy as ever, I find myself wide-eyed as he spoons me, wearing one of his old hoodies. Unable to get the image of him hurting me out of my head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY FOR THE END OF THIS CHAPTER GUYS. I lost all control and started projecting onto my comfort character adklks;adk;lsa;dkf
> 
> PROMISE this is like the last violence on Preston. at the VERY least it's the last graphic thing I'm gonna write. It's on an uphill slope from here on out! Maxpres... Next... CHAPTER!!!


	6. I (used to) Love Play Rehearsal

He's gonna be mad, isn't he? Oh, God. I can't deal with this right now, not two days before homecoming. If he hurts me then Max'll notice an get mad at him an then he'll just hurt me again. I have a million different feelings regarding Sheldon, most of them being fear and anger. Angry that I can't leave due to money and career situations. Scared of what would happen if I did leave, or if he fucking killed me. Maybe if I just act real nice and sweet, make myself... _available_ , he'll calm down? Go easy on me?

"Preston, it's your cue! C'mon!" Shouted Lexi at me, snapping her fingers near my face, startling me out of my anxieties.

"Oh! Shit, okay!" I replied, hurrying on stage. What was the scene again?

It took me two seconds too long to remember my lines, before I lost myself in the role. Usually, I'd be in character even off-stage, but now I'm all scatterbrained and nervous.

"Hey, Terrance!" Someone said with a grin, calling the name of my character.

"How is your relationship with William?" Asked one of the ensemble. William is the employer of Terrance among the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe and there's an ongoing joke between the cast that him and Terrance are secret lovers. There's even a fanfiction in the works.

I smile at him nervously, partly from real-life situations and partly because it's in character for Terrance. "William is a fine employer! Why? Did he say something about me?" I say with a worried expression. "I hope all good things..." 

They laugh. "Oh, yeah." Says one of them.

"Good things bout that piece a fine ass!" Says another, jokingly.

For a second, I'm struck with a gut feeling of fear out of instinct. Whenever someone flirted with me and Sheldon was around, joking or not, he'd _always_ take it out on _me_. "Oh, _my!_ How vulgar." I replied, feigning the shock of a 1920s train employee.

The rest of rehearsal is filled with me swapping back-and-forth from nerves to being in-character, and when it's over, I'm exhausted.

After practice, as I was sitting on a bench waiting for Sheldon to pick me up, Lexi sat with me.

"Are you... Okay? You seemed really distracted today."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it." I sigh. "I'll figure it out."

Lexi bit her lip, untrusting, having known me as stage manager from numerous other productions. "Mmm... Okay then. But, hey, tell me if somethings wrong? Okay?"

I smiled at her, appreciating her concern for me. "Okay." We've always had a strong, trusting bond between us.

And part of me really wants to tell her, but if I think _Max_ being aggressive is a problem, then Lexi would be a whole other story. Before you know it, Sheldon would be a missing person, and three days later his body would turn up in a ditch, face and genitals mangled beyond recognition.

In fact, if _any_ of my friends found out, they'd probably do the same. And that's exactly why I'd rather keep it under wraps.

I turn to see Sheldon's familiar rich car pull up and smile sweetly, sliding into the passengers seat with a wave goodbye to Lexi.

"How was your day, babe?" I ask, reaching over hesitantly to hold his hand.

He shrugs. "It was fine. Productive, y'know?" He sighs. "All I wanna do now is snuggle up with you an watch a couple movies."

"Of course!" I reply, almost shouting before I remember he prefers it when I'm quieter. "Hey, um, homecoming's this Friday. Would you like to attend? With me?"

Sheldon shrugs. "Would the school allow it? Since I'm in college?"

I wave my hand dismissively. "Oh, yes. As long as you sign a paper or get permission from the school or something, you can come as my date. It's no issue!"

"Maybe." He says, after a beat. "S'long as none of your _friends_ get smart with me. What's that one kids name? The short, angry brown kid?"

"M-max." I stammer. "He- uh, yeah. No worries, I'll talk to them."

Sheldon nods. "Good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied in last chapter's notes but NEXT chapter will defo be homecoming lol  
> and spoiler but uhhh.... some........ cute shit happens :3


	7. Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a scene where Nikki & Nerris force Max into formal wear for the dance, but I wrote (or tried to write it) as friendly shenanigans rather than something gross or shippy (obviously). So just, like, keep that noted! Lol

"You going to homecoming?"

"Fuck no."

"Neither am I." And that was the start of the conversation where Nikki would trick me into attending homecoming with her and Nerris.

"Homecoming is not a nerd-friendly place." Commented Neil, having lunch with the two of us. "I'm probably gonna stay home and program the video game I'm making."

Nikki smirked. "Why not ask Harrison to join you? Or, better yet, ask Harrison to homecoming with youu~"

Neil blushed and nearly spit out his milk. "What!? No! Shut up, Jesus..." He muttered.

Nikki rolled her eyes. "You're a couple of cowards. Max at least has an _excuse_."

Neil cleared his throat. "Anyways, what about that math test? Heard you were struggling."

"Ugghh. It sucks! I hate all the stupid trick questions!" Groaned Nikki. "What do I look like, Einstein!?"

Neil slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Y'know, I did make an answer key for you. So long as you drop this whole 'Harrison' thing while we're at school. Deal?"

Nikki, ever so easily coerced, snatched the paper from Neil's hands in a heartbeat. "Deal!"

She then turned to me. "So, wanna hang out with Nerris and I on Friday? We're gonna go down by the lake and catch frogs!"

"Sounds thrilling." I respond sarcastically, tucking David's 'I love you' post-it note in my pocket. "Count me in."

"Great!"

An hour before the dance, David drops me off at Nikki's with a very upbeat attitude. Suspiciously upbeat. Like he's planning something.

I sigh. "What are you so happy about? Or, more happy than usual."

"Oh, nothing. Just a good day at work is all! Now, go have fun with your friends, champ!"

"Do not call me that and goodbye." I respond, sliding out of the passengers seat and shutting the door.

"Okay. Love you!"

I check over my shoulder to make sure Nikki and Nerris don't see, and mutter back a "Love you too," Before ringing the doorbell.

I hear running, then something getting knocked over and Nerris shout-whispering "Careful!" before Nikki opens the door, panting. "Hello!"

"Sup." Then, I do a double-take and squint as I realize that Nikki's wearing a dress. It's nothing fancy, just a plain pink dress with tank-top sleeves that cut off at her knees, but still. I've seen Nikki in a dress maybe two times in my life.

"Aren't we going to the lake to catch frogs?" I ask, before going wide-eyed and realizing with sudden horror that Nerris is also wearing a dress. This one being dark-blue and sleeveless with silver sequins covering the top.

"NO! No no no no- Ack!" I say, attempting to turn and run, but Nikki has already wrapped herself around my waist and tackled me to the ground.

"It's no use resisting, Max! We both know who's the stronger one here and you're outnumbered!"

"NOOOOO!!! HELP, I'M BEING FORCED TO GO TO A SHITTY SCHOOL DANCE- Ow! Jesus, Nerris!" I shout as Nerris throws her dice at me while shouting 'LIGHTNING BOLT!'

I am then ushered inside (forcefully) by Nikki and Nerris, and Nikki holds me still with a grip like a vice as Nerris approaches me, holding a white formal shirt, black dress pants, and a black clip-on bowtie.

"I'LL KILL YOU BEFORE I GO TO THAT SHITTY DANCE!" I yell, attempting to kick Nerris away as Nikki squeezes my arms against my sides.

"Hey!" She complains. "Be nice to the fair maiden!"

"Max, don't make me cast sleep on you!" Says Nerris, lisp ever prominent as she pulls my shoes off and yanks off my jeans in one fail swoop.

My mouth goes agape. "This is WILDLY inappropriate! Jesus, Nikki!"

"Y'know, the more you struggle, the longer it'll take for me to put these pants on you." Points out Nerris, tugging the awful shitty dress pants up my calves. "Also, I'm not looking! So you've really got nothing to worry about!"

I sigh and let Nerris put the pants on me with no further struggling. "If you guys are gonna make me go anyway, then fine! I can dress myself!" I protest.

"Fair enough. Knight!" Says Nerris, standing and holding out the shirt and tie to Nikki as she stands at attention. "Escort the prisoner to the changing quarters!"

"Right away, fair maiden!" Replies Nikki, grabbing my wrist with a death grip and pulling me in the direction of the bathroom."

"You guys are fucking ridiculous." I complain. "I don't wanna go to some shitty school event filled with a bunch of idiots grinding on one another."

"Oh, _please!_ You're just seeing what you wanna see!" Replies Nikki as she pushes me in the bathroom with the shirt and shuts the door.

Her voice comes out muffled as I turn the lights on (as quickly as possible) and continue to change. "It's filled with friends and good times! And snacks!"

"You can have better good times with friends _without_ a bunch of under-paid staff breathing down your neck." I reply as I try to brush any knots out of my wild, curly hair. It's a bitch to take care of sometimes.

"Quit being a weenie and c'mon already! My mom wants to take pictures before we go."

I roll my eyes and sit on the couch, on my phone while Nikki's mom fawns over them, taking at least a million different pictures.

"My lil' angels all grown up! Mind if I post these on Instagram, sweetheart?" Asks Candy, smushing her daughter's cheeks in her hands.

"Mooom, I'm not a baby!" She replied, embarrassed in front of her girlfriend.

"Oh, okay~" Replied her mother with a grin, grabbing her keys before leading us out to the garage. Once the car was started, Candy went on her little rant of, "Be safe, don't do anything I wouldn't do." and Nikki groaned in exasperation.

We're right on time, and lucky for us, we get to wait outside in the cold, in line with the rest of the cattle as the teachers ever-so-slowly validate our tickets.

"Don't worry about your ticket, Max. I already got one for you. You can pay me back later!" Says Nikki smugly.

"How gracious of you." I reply halfheartedly, playing a zombie-killing game on my phone.

Even better, Preston and his boyfriend are also early, and they get to stand in line _right behind us_. I keep my anger and hatred down to a simmer as I glance over my shoulder.

Preston is giving me a look that's a combination of so-nervous-he's-about-to-puke and if-you-say-anything-I'll-hate-you-forever. It makes me want to punch a brick. Especially since I can see the slight swelling and light pink on his cheek and the purple-and-blue bruises on his neck through his make-up.

Nerris gasps. "The famous bard Preston has arrived!" She says with a smile, giving Preston an excited hug as he laughs.

"Why, yes! I'm very excited to show off Sheldon to friends and all the other student body!" He laughs, wrapping an arm around Sheldon's. "They'd be _so_ jealous to see me with a successful college bachelor at a highschool dance!"

"More like a faux-deep hipster wannabe." I comment, ignoring Preston's gaze to glare at Sheldon.

Sheldon laughs, but there's no mirth to it. "I'm not faux-deep _or_ a wannabe. I'm actually quite successful for my age and have given Preston many opportunities in the film industry."

"No, you've given him opportunities in the _student_ -film industry. There's a difference." The tension in the air is so thick you could cut it. It's like a Mexican stand-off of glares. Preston glaring and pleading with his eyes at me, me glaring at Sheldon, and Sheldon glaring back at me.

We couldn't have arrived at the door any sooner as Nikki grabs my arm and pulls me through the entrance. We give the staff our tickets and make our way through these shitty black curtains and down the hall to the gym. The theme is supposed to be "Star-gazing", so there's cut-out stars an shit hanging from the ceiling and in the gym there's a projection of the galaxy on the ceiling. They've also go star-shaped balloons, and basically everything is space-themed.

Space kid's probably flipping his shit right now.

Preston comes in after us escorted by Sheldon, and I huff as I turn to the girls.

"Do you guys want anything from the snack shack?" I ask, trying to find an excuse to get away from Preston and his shitty boyfriend.

"Ooh! One of everything chocolate and a coke!" Asks Nikki as she slaps a 20 in my open hand. "And whatever the fair maiden wants."

"I'm good." Replies Nerris to Nikki's prompt.

"K." I say as I turn and walk away briskly in the direction of the snacks.

 

* * *

 

Is he seriously doing this right now!? I told him! I did! In fact, I went out of my way to pull him aside after school and have a very in-depth conversation about Sheldon with him. And now he's jeopardizing both my safety and this relationship with his stupid actions. All I wanted was to have a nice night out with my boyfriend but now I just feel like I'm gonna puke or cry or both.

He's mad. I know he's mad because of the way he squeezes my hand and wraps his arm around my waist possessively. I know that I can calm him down, so long as nothing else goes wrong all evening.

"You look so good in a tux." I say with a giggle, looking at him with dreamy eyes.

He grins. "Thanks, babe. You look cute, too."

I blush and blow him a kiss. "Aww, how sweet!" I was wearing a lavender velvet tux with a white under-shirt that he had bought for me. It's very form-fitting and adorable, and yet another reason why I owe him.

"Omg, OTP!" Shouted Nerris. "Take some double-date pictures with us! My mom wants them."

Nikki cackled. "Mine too!"

The four of us then took many selfies together, before Max got back with Nikki's snacks and she coerced him into taking pictures of us doing poses.

"Fine." He sighs reluctantly, becoming our cameraman since he was dateless.

Honestly, he looks... Pretty damn good in that outfit. He works out despite not doing any athletics, so he has the perfect swimmer's build, the lines of his biceps gleaming in the dark lighting of the school gymnasium. The way his green eyes shimmer like a mischievous cats. His strong jawline outlined ever-so-slightly. Maybe that childhood crush is a little less childish after all...

I'm snapped out of my daydreaming as Sheldon's arms snake around my waist and he kisses my neck for a picture, smudging my makeup just a little as I reluctantly smile.

"I like this one, and that one, and that o- Ooh, not that one." Says Nikki, continuing her spiel as she takes back her phone from Max.

"Thanks for the photos." Says Sheldon, and my smile drops and stomach sinks.

"I didn't take them for you." Replies Max, straightening his posture and looking up at Sheldon with malice.

He is the epitome of the stereotype of short-and-angry, because despite the fact that Sheldon towers over most of the people here, Max wears a look on his face that screams 'come-at-me'.

Sheldon laughs, leaving my side to cross his arms. "Is it gonna be like this all evening?"

"Guess so." Replied Max with a shrug.

Sheldon shakes his head and breathes out his nose before turning to me and lowering his voice. "I thought you talked to him."

I go wide-eyed and open my mouth to speak, hands coming up defensively before Max steals the words from my mouth.

"He did." He says firmly, a bit louder than usual, his stance growing more hostile by the second. "So don't take out your fuckin' problems on him. It's _me_ you have a problem with.

I take a deep breath and start tapping my fingers together nervously before laughing. "Ah haha! Anyways, Sheldon, would you like to dance? I think a slow song's coming on soon!"

"Sure thing." Replies Sheldon. I'll meet you on the dance floor."

I give up and follow after Nikki and Nerris as I leave Max to piss off Sheldon. My plan for the evening is now ruined and there's no use trying to make it better. The most I can do is try to have fun while we're here and shield my face when he hits me later.

 

* * *

 

 

"Listen. You don't fuckin talk to me like tha-"

"No, actually. You listen. I'm glad you took us away from the crowd, 'cause now I can tell you what I think _really_ think of you!" I reply, a mischievous smirk dawning across my face as Sheldon goes wide-eyed in shock.

"You're probly not used to people callin you out, huh?" I prompt. "Yeah, well, I'm not blind. I know what abuse looks like and even though Preston's in denial, I'm not, and if you decide to go home and beat him 'cause of some shit I said tonight? Prepare yourself, motherfucker. 'Cause I'll beat the shit outta you twice as hard. Whatever you do to him is gonna come at you two-fold, kapiche?"

"Oh, please." Replies Sheldon, wrinkling his nose at me. "You don't know where I fuckin' live. You have no way to find me and hurt me or whatever. Not to mention, your fuckin' tiny, kid. Come at me in a fight and we'll see who walks away."

"I have no way of finding you, huh? Oh really?" I grin. "I have a nerd friend who could track you down with the snap of his fingers, and my other best friend is a crazy lady who talks to animals. You have no idea the kind of person I am, do you? Try me. In fact, I fuckin' _beg_ you to try me. Lay a finger on him and it's your head, got it?"

He rolls his eyes, but it's clear I've got him spooked. "Shut up, you fuckin' child. I'm not gonna be bossed around by some kid." He says, starting to turn and leave.

"You won't be bossed around by a kid, but you _will_ fuck one, right?" I call out after him. He flips me off and I laugh, going to sit at a table outside the gym and text Neil.

The rest of the dance goes just about as well. I peak inside the gym every so often, fucking _refusing_ to dance myself. Everyone's having a good time except for some people I don't know and don't care about and Preston, who _deserves_ to be having a good time. I start to feel a bit anxious, because, yeah, Neil _did_ text me back Sheldon's address and I could totally kick his ass if I wanted to, but I don't want to _have_ to. I shouldn't have prompted him because now Preston's in danger and if he gets hurt it'll be my fucking fault and I just... God. Good thing the dance is ending soon and Nikki and Nerris come over to snap me out of my train of thought before I start to tear up from guilt.

"Hey! Need a ride home, ya big dork?" Says Nikki jokingly, plonking herself down right beside me and holding Nerris's hand.

I shrug. "Nah. I texted David. He's on his way." I look up and bite my lip as I see Preston and Sheldon leaving, them both walking briskly, though Sheldon's holding Preston's hand and practically dragging him along. I sigh.

"Fuck, okay. Nikki, I'm about to do something crazy and stupid and I need you to have my back." I say as I stand. "If Preston decides to go with me and, you gotta be by my side, to, like, ease the tension. Got it?" I say, looking down at her with my 'serious eyes' for confirmation."

"Oh my gosh!" She replies, promptly jumping to her feet with Nerris by her side. "Are you FINALLY gonna go... Y'know..." She says, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Not... Exactly. Just have my back, okay?"

"You betcha, buddy!" Says Nikki, then scampering off out the front doors with Nerris's hand threaded through hers.

"Okay." I say. I take a deep breath, building my confidence, before jogging a little to catch up to Sheldon and Preston. I make sure to keep close behind him, and once we're in the parking lot, I grab Preston's hand.

"Hey."

"What do you _want_ , Max?" Replies Preston. I can feel his hand trembling and he's on the verge of tears and his voice is pleading and his eyes are scared and _god do I want to beat the shit out of Sheldon just for making him feel this way._

"Let go of him." Shouts Sheldon, yanking on Preston's wrists. His wrist pops and he winces, but he holds onto my hand.

"No, _you_ let go of him. Let him do what he wants. I just wanna talk." I say, giving Preston's hand a slight squeeze. I'm terrified for him and I'm not about to let him go get _hurt_.

"Fine then. Talk." Replies Sheldon. He reluctantly lets go of Preston's wrist, getting a few stares from passerby due to shouting.

I take a deep breath and look Preston in the eyes. "Preston, he doesn't fucking love you. Nobody should treat you like that _ever_ and he's gonna fucking hurt you and, just, let me take you home or something. David's almost here, he'd let you stay the night, or we could drop you off at your gramma's, but _please_ don't go home with him."

"And who the fuck does love me, Max!?" Shouts Preston, pulling away from my hand and taking a deep breath as he wipes the budding tears from his eyes. "Who!?"

" _I_ do." I feel myself blush and go wide-eyed as I pull away hesitantly. "I mean- I- _fuck..._ "

He, too, blushes and looks quite surprised, biting his lip as I continue. "Ignore that. Just don't fucking leave with him."

Preston takes a deep breath, clearly terrified of what he's about to do. "Okay." He says, promptly grabbing my hand and using me as a shield as Sheldon straightens and makes his way towards us.

I use my body to protect and block Sheldon from Preston and start walking backwards towards the sidewalk, where Nikki and Nerris are waiting. Sheldon might be tall, but everything about him screams that he's never been in a fight before. We get about halfway back to the sidewalk when he gets right up in my face, trying to push past me to get to Preston, and that's when Nikki starts bounding over.

"That's _my_ fucking tux. I bought it for him. It's my fucking stuff and my fucking money." He shouts.

"What the fuck do you want him to do, huh!? Strip down and give you the tux!? It's not like he has the money on him right now!" I shout right back, pushing myself back against Sheldon as Nerris grabs Preston's hand and escorts him away. Nikki is at my side in seconds and growling.

"I don't know what your FUCKING deal is, but there's no way in hell you're gonna push around my friends and get away with it!" She shouts. Sheldon starts backing up, being met with double the confrontation.

"If you don't get your ass outta here right now I'm gonna fuckin' kill you. Get in your car and _drive_." I say with a glare.

Sheldon, outnumbered, huffs and shouts when he turns to leave. "FINE, but I expect _at least_ 500 fuckin' dollars an all the shit I gave you on my doorstep tomorrow!" As he starts his car, he hollers out the window. "YOU RUINED YOUR CAREER, PRESTON!"

I push Nikki back between some cars as Sheldon drives by and almost hits her, before the two of us are bounding back over to Nerris and Preston. Nikki is met with immediate praise, hugs and kisses from her girlfriend, while I'm met with an upset theater boy having a panic attack.

I hold his hand and manage to calm him down, getting him to sit and wait with me for David to arrive. I even get him to chuckle a bit as I point out to him that as Nerris and Nikki hop in Candy's car, apparently she saw Sheldon try to hit Nikki and has now blocked him from leaving the parking lot. She's out of her car and on the phone with the police as she chews him out, and by god is karma good. Nothing pleases me more than watching a 5 ft angry mom chew out a 6 ft 20 year old man.

Unfortunately, Preston's laughs become little hiccupy sobs, and he tries to compose himself as he talks. "W-what am I gonna do? H-half the stuff is at h-his place, but, I- my gramma an I don't have the money- I-"

I squeeze his hand and gently shush him, not giving a fuck that some other kids with late parents are giving me looks. "Preston, it's gonna be fine. It's bullshit that he even wants you to give him back gifts he got you and money and shit, but. If it'll get him off your back, we'll figure it out. We're not gonna let him anywhere near you and you definitely don't gotta freak out about that 'ruining your career' bullshit. IF he ever decides to take it public or something, we can literally disprove him with the evidence of your injuries and the fact that he's a 20 year old creep who thought he could date a 16 year old and get away with it. Point being, your- It's gonna be fine."

Preston seems to calm down a bit, and minutes after David pulls up and I hold Preston's hand, helping him stand as I open the car door for him.

"Preston's staying the night." I say to David casually as I climb in the seat beside him.

"Okay." Replies David. He adjusts his rear view mirror to check Preston as he pulls out of the driveway. "Is everything alright?" He asks in a gentle tone, the same voice he uses on me when I'm the one having a panic attack.

"I'll tell you later." I reply. It doesn't even feel weird to me how close I'm sitting to Preston, that our thighs touch and I'm holding his shaky hands in my own. All I want is for him to feel better and more grounded, and I'm hoping that somehow, by holding onto him, it helps.

I watch as the dim street lights pass over every so often. They illuminate him for a brief second, and goddamn he's so pretty it _hurts_. I love how his hair is so soft and smooth, and he's so good and fun and passionate. It makes me want to murder the jackass that made him nervous, quiet, and scared.

There's some traffic, but David takes a shortcut, so we're able to get to the house pretty quick. I open the door for Preston and he shakes his head when I offer him my hand, flicking his hair out of his face with grace as he stands.

"I'm fine, Max. Thank you." He says as he makes his way inside. Though it's more sad than how he usually carries himself. Now, he's light on his feet, like a timid deer. Before he would tap his feet loud and proud, stand up straight with his chin up. He's no longer crying and shaking, though, so it's definitely an improvement in the least.

Once in the living room, I stand on the base of the staircase and turn to Preston. "Uhh, you wanna borrow some clothes? We can put the suit in a garbage bag."

"Yeah, uhh, thanks. I _really_ wanna get this fuckin' thing off, yknow? Smells like him." He says as he flicks off lilac velvet jacket onto the sofa, sitting as Amber approaches him, wagging her tail in excitement at the new human.

When I come back downstairs in my pajamas with an old _Korn_ shirt and grey sweatpants, I'm met with the sight of Preston petting my dog with a smile on his face. I bite back a smile myself at the cute image as I toss him the clothes.

"Oh! Thanks." Says Preston as he catches them, standing and making his way to the bathroom.

"We have spare toothbrushes under the sink, Preston! Feel free to use them!" Hollers David from the kitchen. "How do you like your tea?"

"With sugar and honey!" Replies Preston, muffled through the bathroom door. I sit on the couch and pet Amber, going through the 'Musicals' section on Netflix. He'll like that, right? Fuck, he's probably so weirded out right now. I did a total 180 on him with no explanation and now he's staying the night all the sudden and I _fucking confessed my love to him holy shit_.

Preston comes out of the bathroom and takes a seat next to me on the couch. He's pretty close, actually (not that I'm complaining (our thighs are touching)), when he clears his throat and asks. "So, uh... You said you love me. In the parking lot."

Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUGH SHIT lol if you happened to be on ao3 for the brief second in which I accidentally uploaded an unfinished chapter 8 and then promptly deleted it, well, now you know what happened. Just addin that to the end notes here just in case anyone is confused.


	8. I Think I Love You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whats up gamers lol. This chapter is extra long an cute. I've been goin thru some really rough shit rn, got fuckin banned from seein half my family for bein gay. So I really hope you all enjoy. Writin this helped me out, in the least.
> 
> Also, there's kinda a makeout scene. An it's referenced that Max an Preston engage in "heavy petting" but it aint graphic, just 2 warn u.

"Oh. So, you, uh. You remembered." I reply, a bit defeated.

He laughs. "I'd never forget a declaration of love so rushed, desperate, angry, and yet... Passionate, Maxwell."

I feel myself blush and thank god for my dark skin. "Thanks. Listen, you don't have to reciprocate my feelings or anything, and I... Don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me. M'sorry if I fucked up already, but... You know me."

He giggles and it's cute as shit. "How long have you loved me, Max?"

"I had a crush on you since middle school. I fell in love with you freshman year. We were at the lake, and everyone was daring each other to jump off the tire swing. You dared everyone else without mercy, but when it was _your_ turn to go," I laugh. "You clung to the swing for dear life and screamed like a girl when you jumped in. Then you came up outta the water, all laughing and smiling and... I dunno. Guess it was sometime around then."

I can feel him boring into my skull with how starry-eyed he must be, but I keep myself fixated on the TV screen.

"Max, that was the most romantic thing I've ever heard in my life. Far better than anything Sheldon could possibly hope to have done." He giggles and taps my shoulder playfully. "Okay, I'll stop teasing you. Max, I've had a crush on you since _before_ middle school. Why in the world did we never... I never even _thought_ you could possibly reciprocate my feelings. And its still quite shocking, to be honest."

"Well, no offense Preston, but you're not exactly the most observant of the bunch." Preston rolls his eyes at me and I continue. "Other than that it was probably internalized transphobia and homophobia. I only ever liked girls before and I was like 'but, if I identify as a boy, then why do I like boys?' So I thought if I liked boys that must mean I'm a girl. I basically refused to acknowledge it."

"That was, of course, before his ever-so-loving father took him under his wing and showed him the ways of transhood." Said David, suddenly joining the conversation as he entered the room with tea in hand for the both of us.

"You're both trans?" Asked Preston, with nothing but innocent curiosity.

"Loud and proud!" Replied David. He then lifted up his shirt to show us the scars from his surgery. "I'm surprised you kids never noticed!"

"Oh, how sweet!" Says Preston, a smile a nice change to see on him as he sips his sweet tea. "It must've been nice to grow up with someone who's in the same boat as you."

"Yeah." I reply curtly, rolling my eyes and trying my best to send off vibes of David-get-out-you're-embarrassing-me.

He seems to get the hint, asking before turning towards the staircase. "So, what are the sleeping arrangements, kiddos?"

"He can have my bed. I'll take the couch or something." I reply as David leaves.

Preston then nudges my shoulder and says "How chivalrous" with a wink, causing me to blush as I put on the movie 'Grease'.

"So, are we... Dating now?" I ask, considering the former conversation and heavy flirting currently taking place.

"If you want to!" Replies Preston, chipper as ever.

"Does that mean I can kiss you?" I ask, taking a sip of my tea before setting it on the coffee table in front of me.

"Absolutely." He replies with a nervous giggle, so I don't hesitate to reach up and gently cup Preston's face in my hands as I give him a slow, gentle kiss.

 

* * *

 

Fireworks would be an understatement. Or, rather, completely inaccurate. It was more like sweet fruits rushing to my forehead, turning into balloons and carrying me away to heaven. Weird visual, I know, but that's what you get for hanging out with art kids. My whole body was trembling as I placed my hands against his shoulders. Partly from calming down from a panic attack, and partly from excited nerves.

He leans forward, I lean back, and now my head is resting against the other end of couch as he kisses me from above. I wrap my legs around him and move a hand to thread through his curls, my other hand resting gently against the small of his back.

I never in a million years would have expected Max to be a gentle lover, but now that I think about it, it makes sense. He takes great care of the things he loves (Mr. Honeynuts, for example) and although he's filled with rough edges and thorns on the inside he's a rose. A beautiful, tender rose.

A rose that makes mistakes, as he slips and his forearm digs into my shoulder a bit _too_ hard, so I wince and make a noise of discomfort.

He quickly retracts, adjusting to a more comfortable position as an apology rushes past his lips. For a second, I think that I must be dreaming, because all of the sudden I'm saved by the boy I've loved since childhood and free of a cruel prisoner.

Then, I remember that I'm not dreaming as I hear David's ever-too-chipper voice cut through my thoughts, "Use protection, kids! Remember, having safe sex makes you the greatest hero of all!"

Max pushes himself off me and looks over his shoulder to glare and shout at David as I laugh, "OH MY GOD, SHUT UP! GET OUT!"

David tosses Max a condom from upstairs, and it lands on the floor by the couch. Max is seething and embarrassed, red-faced as he plants down into my chest and I laugh so hard that tears come to my eyes.

"You're pretty when you're happy." Says Max, him looking up at me as he slides down to my tummy.

I rest back on my elbows with a blush and a smile. "Thank you. You're gorgeous when you blush."

He laughs and lifts my (his?) shirt up just past my abdomen and gives gentle kisses to my bruises. I lean back and relax, closing and rubbing my eyes a bit.

"I need a plan, Max." I say to the ceiling as his thumbs brush over my sides. "I'm... Really nervous about Granny. She's old and she can't hear well, and I'm afraid that he might-" I bite my lip and cover my mouth as Max kisses on my weak spot and I resist the urge to giggle.

He grins mischievously, and I go wide-eyed and try to push myself away as he grabs my hips and plants a raspberry _right on my fucking ticklish spot_ and I launch myself into a cacophony of giggles.

"Isn't that better?" Asks Max from his triumphant position, pulling himself up so he can kiss my neck. "Don't worry about it. Do you wanna call her, just in case? I doubt he'll try to involve your gramma in all this shit, but if it'll make you feel better-"

"Yes." I reply promptly. The two of us sit back up and I lean into Max's chest as he rubs my back and I dial my gramma's number.

"Grammy!" I shout, making sure I'm on max volume. "I'm sorry if I woke you, but it's important!"

She replies along the lines of 'it's alright, dear, what is it?' and I continue. "Sheldon and I went through a bad breakup. He says he wants his stuff back and money and all that shit, it's stupid. Anyway, I just wanted to warn you in case he shows up not to let him in. Lock the doors and windows, too. Just in case."

My gramma then rants in my ear for about a minute and a half about all the things she'll do to Sheldon if he tries to hurt her or her 'little baby', before signing off with good-night kisses.

I let out a deep sigh of relief and set my phone on the coffee table. "Okay." I then turn to Max and talk with my hands as I explain my game plan. "That was step one. Step two, we run by my house in the morning an grab together a garbage bag of his shit. We'll drop it off at his doorstep, and the money..."

Max puts a finger up and clears his throat. " _I'll_ drop the shit off at his doorstep. If you really wanna go, at least wait in the car. I don't fuckin trust him. As far as the money, we put a cute lil post-it note sayin 'Here's your shit an we don't have the cash! :)'."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, he sucks, but we have to be civil about it. If we act just as bad as him and he does decide to take it public then all we'll be doing is providing him more fodder against us by being rude. But, yeah, we'll leave a post-it note saying we'll give him the money when we have it."

I sigh and wrack my brain for other things that need to be taken care of in the absence of Sheldon. "I can take the bus to and from school. As long as I avoid coffee shops and art studios, his hipster ass should be out of my hair..." I whine and sink down the couch in annoyance. "Why does everything have to be so _hard?_."

"I have pocket knives and mace to spare, take some home with you." Says Max, stroking my hair with his fingers. "Also, you got a whole safety net of people, Preston. The rest of our friends can kick ass, too, and if we fill them in on what happened then-"

"No." I reply promptly, sitting back up and leveling my eyes with Max's. "We can tell them we had a bad breakup an Sheldon's being a possessive dick about it, but we are _not telling them about the abuse_." I sigh. "I just... I'm not ready. To talk about it. Not to mention, if I _do_ talk about it, half of them will send themselves to jail beating the shit out of him. I don't want that."

"Fair enough." He replies. Satisfied, I snuggle up with him under a big, comfy blanket, and we watch the rest of Grease in silence.

Well, we watch half of 'Grease' in silence. Then we start making out and engaging in some heavy petting for the rest of the movie, and once the credits start rolling, I break a rather passionate kiss, panting, to ask him a question.

"Will you sleep with me tonight?" He raises an eyebrow and I go wide-eyed. "N- not like that! I just... Don't wanna be alone."

"Okay. You tired now?" Asks Max, gently nuzzling my neck.

I whine. "Kinda... But I also wanna keep kissing you." I complain with a slight giggle.

He laughs and scoops me up off the couch bridal-style. "C'mon. I'll kiss you till you fall asleep, deal?"

I laugh as he carries me up the stairs, arms wrapped around the back of his neck, head resting on his shoulder and eyes fluttering shut. "K..."

 

* * *

 

Carrying Preston is a relatively easy feat. He's skinny as shit and I _am_ pretty active, so the only difficult part of carrying him to bed is trying not to trip up the stairs. Once there, he lasts maybe another minute while I spoon him and kiss the back of his neck before he's sound asleep.

There's something... Vulnerable about watching someone sleep. Of course, I've been awake while Nikki or Neil slept before, but... This was different. I don't hold them like I cradle Preston, and I don't feel the same way about them as I do about him. In fact, I'd never seen Preston sleep before, and it's quite cute to be honest. I know a couple things about Nikki and Neil's sleeping habits, like how Nikki sleepwalks and Neil snores, but Preston makes these cute little noises in his sleep and his face twitches sometimes. It's probably just due to some dream, but god. He looks like a cute little rabbit.

The other, less cute thing about Preston is that he moves around in his sleep. A _lot_. At 2 a.m. I woke up to a smack in the face, and suddenly I was on the edge of the mattress, the blanket was folded and spread out halfway down the bed, and Preston was now twitching.

I rolled my eyes and sighed in exasperation as I gently removed Preston's hand from my face and pushed him over, pulling the blankets back up so that I could sleep in due to the exhausting night before.

David does not like long slumbers, and neither does Preston. I woke up at 7:40-ish to the sight of Preston's backside as he dug through my closet. He was humming to himself, probably a song from some musical, and he must've not been aware. I smirk mischievously, sitting up as slowly and quietly as I possibly could before grabbing the pillow off the bed and chucking it at him.

He screams and jumps, whipping his head around so fast he must have whip-lash, then rolling his eyes at me and scoffing. "You're so ridiculous." He comments as he continues going through my clothes.

"What are you doing in the closet? Thought you were out already." I joke as I sit up on my bed and yawn, my hair a fucking mess as I try to brush it out of my face.

"Ha-ha. Very funny." Says Preston sarcastically. "I'm a boyfriend who steals clothes. Also, I have nothing to wear other than that stupid monkey suit, and I'm not about to leave the house in some screamo shirt."

I laugh. " _Korn_ isn't screamo. They're metal."

He then gasps as he pulls out a baby-blue shirt with dark green names scrawled across the back, _Preston Goodplay_ being one of them. He turns it around and on the front are the words 'Big Fish' proudly presented in a bright yellow font.

"You got a shirt from Big Fish? I didn't know that!"

"Yeah, sorry. I was one of those quiet stalker-y types so I got a shirt the first time you got in a musical."

He waves his hand dismissively and holds the shirt against his frame. "Don't be. This is adorable and romantic as fuck!"

He then pulls off his shirt with no warning and casts it to the floor, before turning in my direction. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

He rolls his eyes and slides on the shirt, it being just his size since I purchased the thing a year ago. He then continues rummaging around for a pair of pants.

I glance across all the clothes strewn across my floor and say, "You're gonna clean that up. You know that, right?"

He scoffs, feigning offense as he finds an old pair of leggings from a time when Nikki came over and forgot them. "Well, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"

"A cute one."

He smiles and blushes as he takes off the sweatpants and replaces them with the leggings. "You realize you're actively encouraging me not to clean your room, right?"

I shrug. "Neil always cleans up when he comes over. He gets annoyed by the mess so Nikki and I watch vine comps till he's done picking up my room."

"You three have quite the system going on for you."

"I know." I reply, rubbing my eyes and yawning as I glance at my phone. "It's fuckin, 7:50. Are the birds even up? Go to sleep."

"Make me." He replies, sitting on the edge of my bed and sticking out his tongue.

I snort. "Okay." He then goes wide-eyed and squeals as I lunge forward and grab him around the waist, tackling him back down on the bed and laying half on top of him.

He laughs and I lift up his shirt so that I can plant more kisses directly to his bruised skin.

He sighs affectionately, having simmered down to a few giggles, and threads his fingers through my hair. "You're lucky your a master of persuasion."

"I know." I reply smugly, peppering him in gentle kisses until I drift off back to sleep.

The next time I wake up it's 9:00 and it's because I can hear David singing as he cooks breakfast, a daily occurrence here at the Greenwood household.

I groan and Preston pushes me off and sits up. "Finally! You were asleep for _forever!_ I am but a simple ADHD, Max. I get bored!"

I sit up, rub the sleep out of my eyes and watch as Preston stands and makes his way to the door. "C'mon! It smells like pancakes an I wanna get to granny's as soon as possible!"

"Mmm... Fuck. Alright, alright. I'll meet ya down there in a second."

After getting dressed and joining Preston in the kitchen/dining room, I notice how he's shaking his leg and tapping the table anxiously as he scrolls through tumblr his phone. Oh, fuck. Right. That idiot wants his shit on his doorstep 'today', which I guess is pretty vague as far as _when today_ is and probably has Preston panicked for his gramma. I slip my hand under his and thread our fingers together, giving him a gentle squeeze.

" _Relax._ Everything's gonna be fine. We'll have breakfast, swing by your nana's to get his shit an I'll leave it at his place. Simple and easy as that."

"Yeah, but he knows where I _live_. And what about the money?"

"We know where _he_ lives, and we'll get the money in a few days. Or, better yet, he decides to drop it and we don't pay him shit. Either way, it'll be fine."

Preston sighs. "But what if he _doesn't_ drop it and decides to confront me or something? Honestly, I'm just... Really scared for gramma."

"Yeah, well, he's not gonna get anywhere near you or her. I'll make sure of that. And if he does I'll kick his ass more ways than one."

"Breakfast is served!~" Says David, presenting chocolate chip pancakes in the shape of smiley faces on two separate plates. "Made with love!"

"Oh, how adorable!" Replies Preston, setting his phone aside and digging in. "You cook?"

"Yup!" Replies David. "I also garden! Its a way for me to unwind and de-stress, plus it's fun and you get to see people's smiling faces when you hand them a freshly cooked meal!"

Preston gasps. "Oh! My gosh. Can I come pick some fruits an veggies sometime? I'm trying to go vegan." He says, as he eats his pancakes made from cows milk.

"The home-cooked meals are one of the few things I actually enjoy about David." I comment. "Never got them before he took me in."

"My granny cooks sometimes." Says Preston, the leg shaking returning. "When she's not too tired. My favorite is around Christmas when she makes her own special recipe peppermint bark. It's to die for!" He gets more animated and expressive the more nervous he gets, clearly worried about his grandmother.

I change the subject to what David was doing last night, he talks a bit about him and Gwen hanging out, and I try to keep up with Preston as he practically inhales breakfast due to nerves. Since he's the first one done, David directs him to where the garbage bags are kept, and he stuffs the lavender tuxedo into one before slinging it over his back and pacing around the room.

"Jesus, Preston. Now your makin' _me_ nervous." I say as I stick my empty plate in the sink.

"Yeah, well, you're not the only one!" He replies with a halfhearted giggle as he bites his nails.

"Don't do that, it'll damage them." I say as I take the hand he's messing with and hold it in my own.

"I know. It's a bad habit." He replies, tapping his fingers together as I open the front door and call Ered, asking her to chauffeur Preston and I.

I tell her about the shitty breakup and all that, and end up owing her a favor in exchange for the ride. Fair enough. Preston is pacing the front yard as I sit on the front steps and wait.

"It's all gonna work out fine." I say, tired from the dramatic events of last night.

Preston shakes his head a bit. "Don't promise things like that when you don't know what's gonna happen." He eventually sits beside me, resting his head on my shoulder and letting out a long groan.

"You smell good." I comment.

"Thanks. The perfume I'm wearing is coconut scented." He then blinks a few times and sits up straight, eyes narrowed. "Oh, shit. That perfume's his, technically..."

"Oh no, you tripped and the rest of it all spilt out in the sewer..." I joke. He roles his eyes and lightly taps my shoulder.

"Not funny." As he says that, we both turn to see a familiar car roll around the corner and Preston is on his feet in seconds. "FINALLY! Jesus, woman, what's the holdup!?"

"It takes a lot of work to look this good." Replies Ered as she rolls down the window, Preston hopping in the backseat with me following suit.

"So you two are an item now, yeah?"

Preston giggles. "Yes! It's only been one morning and it's already working out great."

"Wait, what?" I reply in confusion. "How, when- how did you know that?"

"Check Preston's story." She says over her shoulder, rolling back up the windows and turning up her music before driving off.

I do as she says, pulling up Snapchat on my phone, and Preston's giddy smile already tells me what I need to know. His story has at least 30 different selfies of him with me sleeping, and quite a few are captioned 'when the boyfriend falls asleep' 'sleepin w/ bae' and the like. I look back up at him, unamused.

He giggles. "What! I was excited! And you look so cute when you sleep, like a teddy bear!"

I facepalm and sigh. "Don't refer to me as a teddy bear ever again. God."

Preston's and his grandma live in a gated community for older folk, and Preston has to give them his name and home address in order to get in. As if Sheldon could _ever_ try and get in. But, whatever, Preston's stressed and he can't help his irrational fears, so I just hold his hand in silence as we make our way to his house, which looks just the same as all the others.

"You coming, Ered?" Preston asks as he steps out of the car.

Ered wrinkles her nose, on her phone. "And get old people smell all over me? No thanks. I'll wait out here."

Preston nods and the two of us head on inside. He greets his grandma with a kiss on each cheek, and she does the same, which is a little weird but like. Hey, whatever. French people.

"Bonjour, gramma!" He says, nearly shouting.

"Bonjour, Preston!" She mimics, making her way into their quaint little kitchen. "Would you boys like any cookies? They're fresh from the oven!~"

"Maybe in a lil bit, gran gran." He replies, already making his way over to scoop quite a bit of clothing and various items off the couch. "I'm in a bit of a rush."

"I'm keeping the cookie cutters he got." She says, eyebrows raised. "They're very good and he gave them to us as a gift. He has no right to demand them back and you shouldn't give in to that."

Preston sighs, exasperated, having heard this argument a million times this morning. "I know. I'd just prefer to give them back so that he leaves me alone. That's all I want."

She shrugs. "Okay. But if he comes anywhere near my baby I'm gonna take him out."

I laugh at the notion of an 80 year old woman taking out a stupid white boy jackass. "How am I supposed to tell what's his and what's not?" I ask.

"Anything ridiculous and over-the-top is something he got me." He replies. I raise my eyebrow and he huffs, elaborating. "Anything that looks expensive."

"Gotcha." I reply, moving about the living room to collect anything that seems expensive to me, sometimes asking for clarification. We end up finishing in the living room and bathroom fairly quick, since most of the stuff's in his bedroom.

Most of his shit's been thrown in the garbage bag, and as I'm digging through his laundry just in case, I find two things that honestly kind of disgust me under his hamper.

"Preston?" I ask the humming boy, searching through his nightstand drawer with his back to me.

"Hm?"

"What's this?" I ask, and he turns, going wide-eyed and red in the face when he's met with a purple thong and rather large dildo to match.

" _MAX!_ " He shouts, and I'm surprised the whole neighborhood isn't woken up with how loud he is. He quickly lunges forward and snatches both the thong and dildo, throwing the thong in the bag and the dildo in his nightstand drawer.

I cross my arms and narrow my eyes, clearly prompting further explanation as he sighs deeply and replies with, "I'm keeping the fucking dildo"

I burst out in laughter, tears coming to my eyes and my sides hurting as he tries to ignore me and hide his shame.

His room is finished by the time I come down from my giggles. "Do you think he'll notice?" I ask, snickering.

"Yep. I hope he does, actually." He replies with a smile. "Besides, I'm not gonna return a fucking _used sex toy_ to him. It's gross and weird."

"The fact he bought you it in the first place is gross and weird." I reply as we make our way back to the living room.

Preston shrugs. "Probably. But, I mean." He covers his mouth in an attempt to hide his laughter. "I got good use out of it."

That sends the two of us into another wave of laughter as we get leave the house, getting back in Ered's car.

She puts her phone up with a confused expression on her face. "What the hell's got you two so fucking pleased?"

"I dunno about me, but Preston sure is _fucking pleased_." The two of us are sent into yet ANOTHER fit of laughter as Ered shakes her head and takes off to Sheldon's place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mY GRAMPA AN HIS SISTER ARE FRENCh an my mom is bilingual sooo yup! Gonna throw some french shit in there lol. I just really like the headcanon of Preston being of French descent.


	9. Max Teaches Preston How To Kick Ass

When we arrive at Sheldon's house, Preston passes the garbage bag of gifts to me and I inform Ered to keep the car running. Suddenly attentive, shut puts her phone down and nods, firm grip on the steering wheel as she watches me approach his front door.

I ring the door bell, and keep myself from breaking Sheldon's nose when he answers the door. "Where's Preston?"

"None of your business. Here's your shit." I reply as I thrust the bag forward into his hands. He reluctantly takes it as his eyes search around, before he spots Preston and starts glaring. I immediately tense up.

He then directs his glare towards me and asks, "Where's the money?"

"Don't have it. And legally, I'm pretty sure you can't actually demand anything you gave as a gift back, so you better back the fuck off. We already did this much." I comment with venom. He tenses and grits his teeth.

"Fine then. If you don't get me the money by the end of the week, it's 1,000. And if I still don't get it?" He bites his lip to keep himself from smirking.

"What? Go ahead and _try_ anything, pal. I'll fucking kill you." I tense and glare as I start backing up towards the car. " _Never_ talk to us again."

Once I'm a safe distance away, I turn around and run back to the car, slamming the door once inside. He goes back inside as well as we drive off, and I take Preston's trembling hand in my own as we drive.

"What'd he say? He looked at me." Preston says, letting out a shaky breath as he turns in my direction. "Is he mad about the money?"

"He didn't say shit. He's a coward and a pussy and I got him to drop the thing about the money." I reply, not wanting to worry Preston with his empty threats.

Despite this, Preston taps his foot anyway, and Ered comments, "What the fuck is that guys problem?" as she drives in the direction of the nearest Sonic.

"You shouldn't have to give him jack shit after a breakup. Like, I've broken up with guys who have left their _own shit_ at my house and like. Surprise bitch now it's mine. He's seriously demanding money from you?" She asks, brows furrowed.

Preston sighs. "He payed for and bought me quite a lot of things when we were dating. You right, it's ridiculous, and personally... I'm just doing it for granny." He rubs his temples and shuts his eyes. "She's old and frail and hard of hearing and I don't want her getting mixed up in all this."

"Y'know, Preston, if it'd make you feel better, I can give you _and_ your granny a spare knife." He laughs, and I grin as I continue. "Seriously! Let's get her some mace too. And we can tell the guys at the gate not to let in a hipster-looking jackass named Sheldon."

"Okay. Fair enough." Replies Preston. "But what about at work? She works at a small time diner."

I shrug. "Tell her boss or manager or whoever about it. I doubt she's all that helpless, Preston."

He laughs. "Fair enough."

"You dudes want anything?" Says Ered, looking back at us from the front seat as she pulls into one of the drive-thru things at Sonic.

"Cookies and cream shake, please!" Exclaims Preston with excitement in his voice.

"The sweet embrace of death." Preston rolls his eyes and nudges me, so I answer for real this time. "Carmel shake."

She nods. "Cool. Also, if you're really freaked by this guy, Preston, I can kick ass. So can Nurf, Nikki, Nerris, your boyfriend..." She says with a wink.

"And I could teach you to kick ass." I suggest.

Preston laughs a bit in confusion. "What do you mean?"

I shrug. "Ered can drop you off at my place and I can show you some fighting techniques. You _know_ I've been in more than my fair share."

"Much to David's chagrin." Comments Ered as she orders.

Preston raises an eyebrow at me. "Is this your way of flirting, Maxwell?"

I laugh and give Preston's hand a squeeze. "Yes."

We suck down our shakes once we get them, chatting about attending another one of Ered's parties next Friday as she drives the two of us home. 

"You owe me!" She shouts, flipping me off as she drops us off.

"Sure thing, Barbie!"

She rolls her eyes and drives off, Preston and I going inside to a warm welcome from David.

"I'm glad you two are back safely! And with treats, I see!" Exclaims David with bright eyes from the kitchen.

I stick my tongue out at him and sip out the last few drops before chucking it in the trash can across the room.

Preston sticks his unfinished shake in the (our) refrigerator, before turning to David and saying. "Remind me to take this home later. My ADHD ass can't remember a goddamn thing."

"Language!" Shouts David as the two of us make our way into the backyard.

I pick up a stick off the ground and hand it to him. "Pretend this is a knife and I'm Sheldon. Try to stab me."

He bends his knees, getting in a traditional fighting stance before lunging towards me with the stick stretched outward. I easily grab hold of his wrist, at the same time stepping forward to grab his other wrist with a grin. "Do you know how to break out of this?"

He giggles and starts pulling back against my grip, grunting with effort as he eventually just sits on the ground and pulls me toward him.

I laugh. "What are you doing!? Preston, this gives me an _advantage!"_

I sit on top of him as he tires to wriggle free. "No, shut up! I got this, hold on..." It takes a surprising amount of effort to try and hold him still as he attempts to free himself, even if he is giggling and laughing the whole time. I can't help but place a raspberry right on his neck, sending him into a fit of shrieks and giggles.

" _Stop!_ This is NOT how you fight people!"

I release him with a laugh before standing and fixing my hair. He then triumphantly stands and folds his arms. "Ha! See? I won!"

I huff. "No you didn't. I let go of you 'cause you were being ridiculous."

"It counts."

I roll my eyes. "Uh-huh. Sure." I then hold out my hand in front of him. "Grab my wrist."

He grabs onto me and I snort. "C'mon! Harder than that! We aren't _boyfriends_ in this situation, y'know."

He tightens his grip, almost squeezing as I draw back my other arm over my shoulder, behind my head, and then gently karate-chop his arm and push it away from my wrist.

"Like that. But, harder, obviously."

He grabs my wrist again defiantly. "Why not go harder on me?" He asks.

"'Cause you have baby skin and I don't wanna bruise you."

He scoffs. "Do _not!_ C'mon, tough guy. Don't hold back."

"If you cry it's not on me." I reply skeptically.

"Oh, please. Do it." He says as I draw my arm back before slamming my karate chop back down into Preston's forearm, and although I go harder than I did before, I still hold back out of a begrudging care for my boyfriend.

"Your turn." I say, before grabbing onto Preston's wrist with a tight grip.

He pulls his arm back, before striking down against my forearm and attempting to break my grasp.

"Harder! Don't hold back!" I encourage, him taking a deep breath before re-positioning and striking again, this time with a lot more strength, and he manages to break me away despite the fact that I was using all my strength to go on.

"Good." I say. Thank God he's strong enough to push me away, because if he ever actually _does_ have to fight Sheldon, I know the jackass isn't gonna hold back.

"Let's do that a few more times." He complies, trying out the technique on both wrists, not holding back as he breaks my hold on him each time.

I then grab both his wrists. "So, besides just sitting down, do you know what to _actually_ do if I grab your wrists?"

He smiles before jokingly pulling up his knee. "Kick you in the balls."

I laugh. "I mean. Maybe. But there's a chance he's not gonna let go just 'cause you kick him." I say, letting go. "Grab my wrists." 

He does so, and I tuck my hands in downwards, towards me, before twisting them upright so that Preston's hands are upside-down, his thumbs are pointing upwards as I break away and pull myself back.

"You gotta direct your hands down, twist them in towards your body and then shoot them up and pull away as hard an fast as you can." I comment, demonstrating for him a second time.

"Cool." He replies. "Has anyone ever grabbed your wrists like that before? Because whenever I see you get in a fight the guy always just starts throwing punches."

"...Yes." I reply hesitantly. "Before David. And after David. We were at WhiteWater when I was 13 and some creep tried to snatch me."

"Yikes." Replies Preston as I grab his wrists, and he performs the technique before breaking away. "Was it scary?"

I shrug. "Yeah. But David was close by in the bathroom and all I had to do was scream." I laugh. "Remember Bonquisha? When he punched Jacob?"

"Yes." He replies as we practice the technique again.

"It was like that but worse. The dude's got muscle. From all that outdoor shit he does." Preston laughs at the mental image as he breaks away from my grasp.

"I always pegged him to be kinda weak."

"A lot of people do, 'cause of his demeanor and all that. But, I mean. He got hit by a car _3 times_ and was fine, yknow?" I reply, the two of us going through the double wrist-grab exercise a few more times.

"Let's go through a hair-pull from the front and from behind, then I'll let you off the hook."

"Sounds kinky." Replies Preston jokingly as I roll my eyes. "Grab my hair."

He does so, and I immediately reach up and press my hand down against his. "Now you're just moving my head rather than my hair, yeah? And I have more control over the situation. Now the next step-" I begin, raising my arm in a fist and my knee up to his stomach. "Is to punch the arm and knee the belly or groin. 'Cause when you punch the arm, the grasp is broken, and when you knee them you can push them back."

Preston nods and we repeat the exercise a few times, this time with me grabbing his hair, and I'm relieved to admit that despite my strength he still manages to break free. To be honest, Sheldon's empty threat from this morning has left me feeling a bit... Paranoid.

I then turn around and instruct Preston to grab my hair from behind. Once he does, I reach back with both hands to grab onto his wrist and lock my elbows into place in front of me. "Again, I have more control in this situation, and if you were to try and slam me down somewhere, my face is protected by my elbows." I step back and to the side, ducking under to twist Preston's arm and core inward. I then release Preston and turn around to face him. "Got it?"

"Yeah! 110%." He says in response, before turning around and allowing me to grab his hair from behind so that he can practice the technique on me a few times. After that, we go over each technique I taught him before heading back inside.

"Feel more confident now?" I ask, queuing up a horror movie on Netflix as Preston grabs his shake from the fridge.

"Yep! I could kick your ass now." He comments as he plops down on the couch beside me, snuggling up against my chest as I wrap an arm around him.

"I taught you the basics. Don't get cocky on me." I reply with a smirk.

"Your just saying that 'cause your scared of your new ass-kicking boyfriend~" He teases as he takes a sip.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. Fucking fight me, babe."

"Okay."

Preston goes wide-eyed and barely has enough time to set his drink down on the coffee table as I grab his sides and start tickling him, digging my face into his neck to give him kisses and raspberries.

He screams. "AAHHH! MAX! UNFAIR!" He shouts, unable to contain his laughter as I tickle him without mercy. He squeals. "Stop! Oh my god!"

"Aww." Chimes in a third voice from the laundry room entrance, causing me to promptly stop and look up at David with an unamused expression.

"What are you smiling about, camp man?"

"It's just so cute to see you both so happy and in love!~" He replies with a giggle and a slight clap of excitement.

Preston takes the opportunity of distraction to shoot up and spider his fingers across my sides, prompting me to sit back and raise an eyebrow at him. " _That's_ how you tickle?"

"Oh, come _on!_ " He says as he attempts his piss-poor excuse of tickling me again. "Really? You must not be ticklish."

David laughs. "Oh no, Max is _very_ ticklish."

I look up to glare at him and point. "I will murder you in cold blood."

David sips from his cup of orange juice innocently before making his way back out of the living room.

"Am I _seriously_ that bad at tickling?" Asks Preston as we resume our previous position of cuddling on the couch.

"Yup. But I love you anyway."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Preston just fuckin' plonking down on the ground when someone grabs his wrists in an attempt to pull away are literally just me projecting akljdklasdjl;ksdjld. It's my rly shitty defense tactic when my friends and I play-wrestle and I always end up SMITTEN.


	10. Halloween(ies)

Of course all I'm doing is going over my script for the musical, sitting on the curb after school, minding my own business when I feel Max's dark, toned arms wrap around my chest in a bear hug from behind.

I gasp. " _Max!_ I'm drinking coffee!" I object, referring to the pumpkin spice latte sat dangerously close.

"An attacker's not gonna care about the coffee! Fight me!" He replies, locking his hands together and squeezing.

I huff before I bend my knees, dropping my weight and then stomping on his foot as hard as I can (partly because he asked me not to hold back, and partly because he interrupted me in the middle of a hyper-focus). I then rear back and kick him in the knee, prompting him to let go and sit on the curb beside me. (In a real attack, of course, I'd kick him in the groin, but I'm not going to do that to Max).

"Nice." He replies, smirking and reaching up to ruffle my hair as I sit beside him. "I could almost feel it this time."

I roll my eyes. "Oh, please. You're probably holding back _tears_ from how hard I kicked you."

Max shrugs. "I've had worse." and then he just. Sits there, with his elbow propped on one knee, head in hand, grinning at me like a doofus.

I can't help my blush or growing smile as I try to hide my face in my script. "What?"

"I'm just really... Glad. That you feel confident about defending yourself if something shitty happens." He then wraps an arm around me, tucking my head against his chest before continuing. "I mean, it's mid-October and I doubt Sheldon still cares after a _month._ Haven't heard a damn thing from the coward."

I let out a half-hearted before taking a sip from my latte. "Aha... Yeah." I then run my fingers over the Starbucks label, scratching anxiously at the sticker.

I've been... Neglecting to tell Max about the steady stream of letters I've been receiving. At first, it was just some cryptic bullshit in the mail twice a week. But now, it's become a lot more... Prominent. And graphic. And of course I _know_

"Gwen's hosting a scary movie night at her apartment later." Says Max, snapping me out of my thoughts. "You goin?"

"Oh! Yes, actually." I grin. "I don't have rehearsal tonight, and it's been quite a while since I've seen her."

"Make sure to call her old. She _hates_ that." He laughs. "'Shut up, Max! I'm only thirty!'" He says, impersonating her.

I scoff, though cracking a smile. "How _rude!_ Respect your elders."

Max waves his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, she's got a boyfriend now. They live together, goin on 6 months. John, I think. Was his name. Or maybe Jake?"

I go starry-eyed and drop my script to my side, suddenly attentive. "Oh my gosh, _really!?_ Is he a charmer? What's he look like? What's he into?"

"Your not allowed to flirt with him, Preston. He's _Gwen's_ boy-toy."

I gasp, raising a palm to my chest in offense. "What do you take me for!? Some kind of harlot? I want to know if he's good for _Gwen,_ dumbass."

Max laughs before planting a kiss on my cheek. "I'm just teasin, babe. And he's pretty cool, based on what I've seen."

The two of us continue to chat idly and snuggle until David and my grandma arrive, then we bid adieu and go our separate ways.

"Evening, grandma!" I shout as I hop in the passengers seat.

"Good afternoon, Preston, dearie. How was school?" She asks, taking off slowly and making her steady way home.

"Fine. We're still having to clean out the chemistry room, though. Due to what Nikki did yesterday." The silly girl misjudged her calculating skills when creating a mock-volcano and there were chemical spills all over the classroom. How'd it get all over, you ask? Well, good question. She decided to play in the aftermath. "However, it _does_ mean that the rest of us were exempt from the project, so I worked on my play!"

"Sounds lovely." She replies, turning on her blinker to head towards our gated community. "Remind me what the play is on, dear?"

Her memory's fading, but I don't mind. I get to ramble on about the same play 10 different times, so it works out! I clear my throat. "It's a romantic tragedy involving a long-distance romance. Claudia leaves her boyfriend, Tom, so that she may follow her dreams of performing in the big city of Chicago, leaving Tom alone in New York. He's a small-time struggling writer at a small publishing firm. Anyways, as time passes, they see each other less and less. Tom ends up cheating on her, and she does the same. Tom confesses first, however, but Claudia can't exactly complain since she did it too. So they fight and decide that a break up is the best course of action."

She frowns. "What a sad ending! I like happy endings."

I roll my eyes. "That's the point, Gram gram! It's _real_ and _raw_ and _edgy_."

"Well, you have fun with that." She replies as she parks before getting out at the pace of a snail.

I take the opportunity to go get the mail before her, tucking an unnamed letter inside my black "Broadway" jacket before handing the rest off to her.

"Thank you." She says with a smile before I help her inside.

Once gramma is seated watching Law & Order on the television, I make my way back to my room to dress for the season and open what will no doubt be cause for anxiety. I flop down on the bed with a sigh of relief after the long school day, opening the improperly packaged letter and reading it over.

**~TW: Rape & death threats~**

_You've fucking done it now_

_You can keep on playing your little game of avoiding and ignoring me. That's fine. But don't be surprised when I grab you by your pretty brown hair and slam my dick down your throat. I'm gonna fucking ruin you just like you ruined me. I'm gonna cut you up and feed you to the DOGS when I'm finished skull-fucking you. I'm gonna chain you up and tear you down till your throats raw from screaming and you're begging for death. Keep on playing house, 'cause I'm a fucking homewrecker._

**~TW over~**

I laugh nervously despite my trembling hands. Homewrecker!? Oh my God. He thinks he's so much cooler than he really is. I fold the paper back up and put it in an envelope, tucking it in the back of my closet with all the other letters for evidence if he actually _does_ try anything. I read on the internet though that if you just ignore a stalker, eventually they'll get bored and leave you alone. I am _really_ hoping that's the case here. Besides, based on other people's stories, what I'm dealing with is _baby stuff_. Whatever. I can handle it!

I clear my throat, take deep breaths and crack my knuckles, taking a minute to calm myself before getting ready for the scary movie night. I take a shower, wash my face, then decide to put on a large, cute orange sweater with a black cat on it, coupled with black leggings and ankle boots. I then continue writing my screenplay and snap-chatting friends till 5, when Ered picks me up for the party since my gramma really shouldn't be driving all that often.

Ered and I end up talking about some weird kid in her art class on the ride over who said hes gonna freeze off his tattoos when he dies and frame them for his grand kids. He's done a lot of weird shit like that, apparently. For instance, he fawns over Ered 'cause of how 'hella cool' she is, but he does this weird thing where he hovers around whoever she's talking to from a distance and wait to talk to her when she's alone. Like, I get not wanting to interrupt a conversation or whatever, but hovering and waiting for a girl to be alone is SUPER creepy dude. Anyways, Ered parks and we head inside the apartment building and take the elevator up to the 23rd floor. The apartment complex is rather nice. Fancy, even. Gwen managed to make her liberal arts degree work for her and ended up getting a job at a high-end hair salon, the type that rich people go to, so now she has this swanky apartment with her mystery boyfriend of 6 months. I'm proud of her. A single lady working her way up the ladder and bashing through the glass ceiling to get what she wants!? How inspiring!

I can already hear the muffled voices of Max, Nikki, Nurf, Neil, and Neil #2 (or rather just Space Kid, since Neil claimed the name once we found out). I knock, and the door is open within seconds as I'm greeted by Nikki wearing a black cat costume, whiskers painted on her face, holding a handful of candy corn.

"Shup, you guysh!" She says, mouthful of candy.

"Sup." Replies Ered, giving Nikki a high-five.

I grin nervously, slightly disgusted with Nikki's eating habits as I make my way inside. I then grin at the crowd, make jazz-hands and exclaim. "Evening, everyone!"

"Can you cut the theatrics for _one_ night?" Asks Neil from his position on the couch between Nurf and Space kid.

"Nope. Believe me, it's like coded in his brain." I turn and see Max entering from the hallway, leaning against the wall.

I skip my way over to him, clasp my hands over his and promptly press a kiss to his cheek. "Hey, babe!"

Max can't help but crack a grin, reaching up to wrap an arm around the back of my neck and ruffle my hair.

"Stop! Your gonna mess it up." I complain, straightening back down the kinks with my fingers.

"Oh my god what a _tragedy!_ " Shouts Nikki from across the room, sitting on the floor beneath Neil with the candy bowl in her lap. "Can you possibly imagine what it would be like to have a SINGLE TANGLE!?"

"I side with Preston on this one. A bitch's gotta keep her hair lookin' sharp." Comments Ered with a snap of her fingers, taking a seat on a lone chair beside the couch.

"See? She gets it." I reply, leaning against Max.

"I leave the room for _one second_ -" Says Gwen, coming up beside me from the hall as she halfheartedly glares at the campers.

I squeal and clap in delight. " _Gwen!_ " I exclaim, greeting her with a rather crushing hug as I gush. "It's been _forever!_ How have you been!? Who's the new boy toy?"

"Why don't you ask me yourself?" Asks a mystery voice, entering from the kitchen. I turn and see a man of Hispanic descent with rugged good lucks wearing a blue button-down shirt.

I'm across the room in seconds and flooding him with questions, what's his name, how old is he, where's he from, what's he do, etc.

"Preston, I said no flirting!" Jokes Max, having now taken a seat beside Nikki on the floor, under Nurf.

I turn to Max with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. "I am _not_ flirting! Oh my God!"

The others laugh at my expense as mystery man informs me that his name is John, he's 32 years old, raised in Kentucky and makes a living as veterinarian. The two of us make small talk until Gwen declares that she's gonna start the movie and we better sit our asses down before she _kicks_ our asses down. So I take my place in Max's lap, snuggled up to him as we watch _Friday the 13th: Part 2_ , which Gwen says is the best out of all of them.

Neither Max nor I get spooked by horror movies. He loves horror movies, because it's either genuinely scary and gory, or it's ridiculous and he 'gets a good laugh'. I, on the other hand, could care less about them, but I wanted to see Gwen and the others after going so long without her. At a particularly boring part of the film, when the counselors are being stupid and not realizing that half their crew has disappeared, I scan my eyes across the room. Everyone seems to be paying attention, or, at the very least, not paying attention to _us_. I take the opportunity to tilt my head up and plant a slow kiss on Max's lips. He smiles, and with his arm wrapped around my back gives my bicep a light squeeze as he reciprocates the kiss, biting tenderly at my bottom lip and briefly sucking at it.

"You guys are gross." Says Nikki, throwing a piece of popcorn at the two of us, who quickly break it off.

"You and Nerris practically dry hump each other when she's around. I don't wanna fuckin hear it." Retaliates Max. "Besides, it's a boring part."

"You're all a bunch of sluts." Comments Neil from the couch above us, scrolling through his phone.

"Guys! Shut up, this is the best part." Ered says, spreading her arms out to hush us. Everyone's attention is drawn to the screen where there's a full-on boob shot of a girl preparing to go skinny dipping in the lake at night.

"Ered you useless bisexual." Says Nurf with a laugh.

"What? Those are some killer tits."

"I'd go down on her." Says Nikki with a sly grin.

"You all are fucking disgusting. Just shut up and enjoy the terror." Gwen sighs with a shake of her head, snuggled up on a nice chair with a blanket and her boyfriend.

"There are two very important elements to horror films." Chimes in Max, leaning forward and counting his points on his fingers. "A group of white kids with like one black kid who dies first, and copious amounts of sex."

"You're an awful child." Gwen says with a halfhearted glare.

Max laughs and we return to watching the movie in silence. We then decide on _Nightmare on Elm street_ , followed by _Scream_. When the credits start rolling for _Scream,_ Ered pitches the idea of going to a haunted house and Nikki is immediately on board, followed by Gwen and Nurf. Neil gives the idea of a haunted house 'fuck it' shrug, and Space kid decides that as long as Neil will protect them he'll go.

"What about you, Max?" Nikki pipes up, sticking her tongue out at Max and making creepy fingers. "You _scared?_ "

Max laughs. "No. I'm not goin' cause my fight of flight reflex is 'fight', and I don't wanna punch some poor actor in the face an break their nose."

"Haunted houses are barbaric." I say over my shoulder from the kitchen, getting myself a cup of soda.

"If I leave you two alone you're in charge." Says Gwen, pointing at me. "Don't let him burn down the house."

"Yeah, right! They're 'probly gonna FUCK." Laughs Nikki, poking Max in the ribs.

Max puts Nikki in a headlock and the two play-wrestle on the floor, Max objecting. "Preston and I aren't wild animals like you, Nikki."

Nikki cackles, managing to wrap herself around Max's back and latching on to his hair. "That's right, baby! I'm an animal! AWOO!"

Max falls backward, trapping Nikki beneath him as he grabs on to her calves. "More like a weak, sick weasel with rabies."

Nikki bites Max on the arm, without breaking the skin, before cackling. "Now you have my sickness! Rise, my zombie brethren!"

"NIKKI, HURRY YOUR ASS UP OR WE'RE LEAVING WITHOUT YOU!" Shouts Gwen from down the hall.

"Coming!" Max releases Nikki and she scampers off, slamming the door behind her.

"She seriously trusts you in the apartment?"

"Not alone." Replies Max, plopping down on the couch and turning on Gwen's Xbox.

"Okay then. She trusts _me,_ noddle-armed theater boy to keep you from trashing the place?" I sit beside Max, taking a sip of my drink before setting it on the coffee table.

"Yeah, 'cause she knows that you're scared of her and that despite myself, I wouldn't go against my boyfriends word." Max replies, stealing a sip from my drink.

"Oh, how adorable!" I smile and boop Max on the nose. "Only the prince can tame the beast."

"This beast about to eat your ass."

"That is _wildly_ inappropriate, Max."

The two of us settle in and Max teaches me how to play Grand Theft Auto, and even though I suck, the shenanigans we get into leave me teary-eyed with an aching chest from laughter. At one point we come across an in-game mountain lion, which Max kills, and I vow my revenge for the poor animal and begin my quest of killing Max every time I re-spawn. He wins, most of the time, but eventually I wrestle his controller away from him and use the opportunity to strike. It may end with me, sliding off the couch with my upper body sprawled awkwardly on the floor and arm stretched out to keep the controller away, but it's a victory nonetheless.

"I'm gonna fuckin' get you." Says Max, and before I know it he's grabbed my sides and planted a raspberry directly to my ticklish spot.

I spazz, reflexively kicking the air with laughter. "AHAHAHAHAHA! FUCK! MAX!"

Max responds to my pleas of laughter by sliding off the couch and onto the floor, pining me underneath him. He tickles and kisses my belly without mercy as I attempt to push his face off.

"Quit it! I'm gonna fucking _pee!_ " He relinquishes at the threat and I thank him by sitting up and kissing his neck.

"My stomach hurts."

"Then maybe don't eat so much candy."

I lightly thwap his shoulder in protest. "Not from _that_. From you tickling me."

Max laughs, but his laughter is caught short by a soft gasp when the lights suddenly go out. I blink a few times and rub my eyes, looking around.

"Power outage?" But when I look up, I realize that Max is no longer sitting in front of me. "Max?"

"I-I'm sorry, I just-" Replies Max from across the room in a hushed voice. I stand and see him curled up in the corner nearest the door, facing the wall.

I frown, making my way over and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He tenses, flinching, before slowly relaxing in to the touch. "Are you okay?"

"I- It's a stupid- stress response." Says Max, voice cut off. It's like he's trying to talk, but someone keeps interrupting him. "My parents- Th-the dark. Dark rooms. It-"

I move so that hopefully he can see me before wrapping him up in a hug. "It's okay! I know how triggers are. Do you need anything?" I ask, rubbing his shoulders soothingly.

"Light- Or. Outside."

"Okay." I reply, holding his arm and helping him to his feet as I open the door to the apartment, making sure to prop it open with my shoe for when we come back.

I turn the on flashlight app on my phone and guide him down the stairs. He's very tense, and he's trembling, but he won't look at me and I know that he's embarrassed. Max doesn't like it when others see him cry or be scared. It's something that most of us know from growing up with him. I make sure to squeeze his arm reassuringly and smile at him.

"It's okay to be scared of the dark. I'm scared of big dogs! That's something most people aren't scared of."

He bites his lip, and soon the two of us make our way outside and sit on the curb with each other. Once Max is out of the building, he lets out a deep breath and relaxes considerably.

"Sorry about that."

"It's not a problem. You can't help things like that." I reply, giving him a big hug and a squeeze, kissing his cheek. "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah. It's just, like." He shrugs, wrapping an arm around me and looking at the pavement. "When I was younger, and I would get in trouble, they'd lock me in my room for hours. It was really fuckin' dark in there and usually my dad would come in and beat me." He smiles and runs a hand through his hair. "Whatever. It hasn't happened in _years_. Dunno why it still affects me."

I shrug. "Sometimes things are like that. Sometimes you don't ever... _fully_ recover from certain things."

Max laughs. "Y'know, when David first adopted me, he didn't know. Not like I told him. So we got in some argument and he put me in 'time out' but the lights were out and I _cried_. The dude felt so bad about it. Took me out for ice cream. Like, you were _just_ trying to punish me. Make up your mind!" 

I laugh. "I'm really glad he adopted you."

"Me too. But don't tell him I said that." He leans against the curb, sighing. "I probably woulda gone to the same school as you guys and all that. If I were still with my parents. But who knows if I would've been the same... _person_ , yknow?" He laughs. "Probly woulda killed myself."

"I'm glad you didn't." I reply in a soft voice, giving him a hug and a kiss. "You're really important to a lot of people, y'know. Important to me." I grin and chuckle a little. "I mean, if it weren't for you I'd probably still be with Sheldon. Or dead, who knows?"

"Yeah, 'what ifs' are the worst." He says before kissing the top of my head.

"Agreed."

Soon enough, the lights come back on and Max and I head back to the apartment. I make sure to keep this memory saved as a moment of precious intimacy for years to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not all of the campers are at Gwen's house for two reasons! 1.) They had other things going on or they don't like scary movies, etc etc. 2.) I'm lazy and didn't wanna write that many characters.
> 
> It is NOT b/c they weren't invited. Gwen invited every camper 2 her scary movie party.


	11. The Premiere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Preston's gramma couldn't make it to the first showing cuz she was busy but she'll make it next time.

"Preston, quit shakin' your leg!"

"I can't help it! I'm just so FRICKIN' EXCITED for the play tonight!" I reply to Nikki, grin apparent on my face as I tap my pencil against the desk. School's getting out in 5 minutes, and of course I'm just going to stay till 7, when the show starts.

"And Jessica and the crew and I always walk down to the Steak & Shake nearby, an we play games until the show starts, and then after we all get pizza, and it's just so much fun!" I giggle. "I love them and I love acting and I am SO excited for you all to see my performance!"

"You said there's a crazy old murder lady, right? And the plays funny?" Says Nikki pointedly, playing with a bird feather she found on the ground outside this morning.

"Yes! I think you'll all like it very much. And you'd like the girl who plays the crazy murder lady, too. She's very bombastic and hilarious." I recall, thinking of the interactions I've had with Maggie. She certainly is a wild card.

"Cool." Nikki then grins mischievously. "Can I bring tomatoes to throw at you?"

"No and also that's outdated." I reply, rolling my eyes.

"What about my frog?"

"If you bring Herbert and he disrupts the play, so help me god-"

"No! He's a really good audience." Says Nikki, cutting me off, offended that I would even insinuate her pet frog could distract from the show. "He really likes watching power rangers and anime when Nerris comes over."

"Your frogs a frickin' weeaboo." Says Nurf with a grin.

"Shut up! Is not!"

Nikki and Nurf then playfully bicker till the bell rings, and I'm the first out the door. I make sure that when I see Max in the hall, I wrap my arms around his neck and give him a big kiss.

"Somebody's happy." He comments.

"Obviously! I just absolutely cannot HELP but be excited right now." I reply, making continuous jazz hands as a way to externalize my hyperactivity.

Max laughs. "I'm glad your happy. I'm excited to see you perform."

"And who wouldn't be?"

"Neil."

I stick my tongue out and blow a raspberry. "Whatever. Everyone knows the nerd jerks it to Bill Nye."

He laughs. "Oh my god! Fucking roasted."

"What's so funny!?" Asks Nikki as she bounds over to us, almost tripping a student in her path.

"Neil jerkin' it to Bill Nye." Responds Max. Nikki then shrieks with laughter, snorting as we make our way outside to join the others.

"What are you three so fucking chipper about?" Asks Neil sarcastically as we join him and the rest of our friends at the picnic table.

"Roasting you." Says Max with a smirk.

"Shut up. You used to listen to blood on the dance floor unironically." Neil snorts as he plays some game on his chromebook, Nikki promptly bursting out in laughter over his comment.

Max blushes and tries to cover up his embarrassment. "Oh my god! Shut up, that was years ago!"

"What was?" Asks Ered as she pops in a piece of gum.

"NEIL JERKS IT TO-" "MAX LISTENS TO-" Shout both Max and Neil at the same time, and the afternoon becomes everyone shouting over one another in an attempt to roast each other.

By the time people's parents start showing up, we determine that it's a close tie between Ered and Max, with Ered slightly winning out (only because we're conformist sheep, as Max claims). I give him a kiss and a hug goodbye, trembling in excitement with the knowledge that our reunion would be when the play starts!

I then hook up with Jessica and a couple other friends in the play, and the four of us head on down to Steak an Shake for a meal before the play.

"You think Ashley's gonna remember her cue this time?" Says Jake, a crew member, with his hands wrapped around a steakburger.

"Um, she fucking better." I reply. "I am not going to cover her with improve like last year. Like, I know I'm good at improve, but that doesn't make it any less stressful when you have at least 200 eyes staring at you as you try to give them their moneys worth."

"Don't worry, I'll cattle-prod her." Says Jessica. "I'm more worried about Dillon. Last year he skipped over _two damn pages_ by accident."

"Not as bad as when that stupid freshmen took the ax prop during wizard of oz and Jenea had to wing it and improve for a full fuckin' minute while we retrieved the prop." Comments Erica, another co-actress.

"You guys are seriously bringing down my energy right now." I roll my eyes, indulging in my sugary shake. "Well, no. More like bringing my energy up, but in an anxiety-driven way rather than a this-show's-gonna-be-great way."

Jessica laughs. "Sorry Preston. You're right, we shouldn't jinx it."

We spend the rest of the time chatting about bullshit, doing superstitious crap for good luck, and then we make our way back to the school for us to relax and play a few party games before it's time to get dressed and ready for the show.

Of course, I can't help but peek out as the seats start to fill up, and spot none other than my gorgeous boyfriend among the back rows with the other campers who decided to show. I make eye contact with him, then wink and blow him a kiss, which I know he saw but chose not to acknowledge as I take a seat back stage, running through a few calming exercises to get me really in-character and in tune with the show.

The lights come on, and the first few characters go on stage as the rest of us pass through the 'train station' as passengers and employees on the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe. The first few 'family groups' establish their characters and their story, then I come on as a stressed first-day-on-the-job employee to William, and the rest of the passengers have their scenes before boarding the train.

Honestly, it couldn't have been more perfect. And that's exactly why my luck would run out in the middle of the damn play.

Before intermission, there's a scene where several passengers run in to me only to inform me that there's a crazed killer aboard the train.

"Why, that's insane!" I exclaim. "You're all perfectly safe he-" And then I spot him. In the very back row, at the very left, is Sheldon. He's just sitting there, watching intently, and I feel my heart pounding out of my chest and my hands grow clammy. He's gonna fucking kill me.

Everyone's waiting for me to finish my line, but I can't. Instead I'm just stuck in this moment of utter terror, when the murderous elderly lady comes on stage and chases us off for intermission. Although this time I'm not acting when I run away in fear. In fact, the moment I'm off stage I'm hunched over the trash can and puking my guts out.

"Oh, my God!"

"Oh my fucking god. Preston, are you okay?"

"Someone get Jess!"

I just sit there, on my knees as a nice crew member holds my hair back. I'm shaking and I can't stop, when I feel Jessica sit down beside me and place a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, whats wrong? Are you sick? You seemed perfectly fine at the restaurant today, I-"

"N-no, it's not that." I reply, doing my best to clean up as I sit back on the floor and look Jessica in the eyes. "I- Fuck." I sigh. "I wasn't really planning on telling you about it, but I have a shitty ex and he's been sending me threatening letters for the past month. And he's in the audience."

Jessica's eyes immediately light up with a hell fury and rage the likes of which I've never seen before I reach out to hold her hand. "Hey. Do _not_ go starting shit over this. Okay?" I smile weakly. "The show must go on."

"Relax. I'm not gonna murder him... Yet." Replies Jessica with a sigh. "I'm gonna go get Max back here and we're gonna talk about this, but regardless, we're gonna kick his ass out of the theater and you're gonna give the performance of a lifetime."

I laugh timidly. "Thanks, Jess."

Of course, I'm _dreading_ the apparent conversation with Max. He'll be mad at me for not telling him, no doubt, but I'm tired and I don't need to deal with his shit right now. I'll just let him know to _drop it_ and we'll talk about it after the show.

Sure enough, Max storms back stage minutes after I've talked with Jess and is by my side in seconds. "Are you serious? What the hell were you thinking?"

He's squeezing my hand and I halfheartedly glare at him before pulling away. "Stop being fucking _mad at me_ " I say, and it comes out more whiny than intended. But I guess that's a good thing, since Max pulls away with a dejected huff.

"Okay. Your right. Your probably fucking... Terrified." I can hear the guilt in his voice and start to feel bad for making him feel bad as he wraps me up in a tender hug. "I just... God, Preston. It scares me that you don't wanna... Tell me stuff like this. I care about you and I worry and if Sheldon ever got ahold of you-"

I shiver and he drops it, biting his lip before continuing. "I told the gang. Not about the abuse part but that he's fucking crazy and they're scaring him shitless as we speak."

He runs his fingers through my hair, and I wrap my arms around him before mumbling into his shirt, "Thank you." I sigh. "I didn't wanna... Freak you out is all."

he laughs. "Too late for that."

The two of us share a nervous laugh before he cups my face and gives me a kiss. "Okay. Love you. We'll talk about it later."

I spend the rest of intermission calming myself down before peeking into the audience and seeing that all my friends are still there, but Sheldon is nowhere to be found and they all have pretty triumphant looks on their faces. I smile, before getting back in character and finishing out the rest of the show smoothly and without any hitches.

After I take off the wig, makeup, and costume, changing back into my normal clothes, I rejoin the others in the hall, receiving a confusing mix of shouting praise and shouts about Sheldon.

"Did that jackass really think we wouldn't find him!?"

"How did you not KNOW he was HERE!?"

"Omg you did AMAZING!"

"Holy JESUS you guys!" I exclaim, exasperated. "Thanks a bunches for the compliments, as always, but can we CHILL the FUCK OUT about Sheldon for two seconds?"

"Not when you lied about what happened." Says Ered with an uncharacteristically cold glare.

"And he was really gross, too! And, like-" Says Nikki uncomfortably, lowering her voice before continuing. "He told us that he hurt you when you were together, basically..."

I can feel myself blush from embarrassment as my eyes go wide and I draw back from the group. "He- I- it's-" I sigh exasperatedly. "I don't wanna fucking talk about it and it's _complicated!_ " I shout before storming off, jogging out the front door as Max calls out to me.

 

* * *

 

 

"You weren't supposed to fucking corner him like that." I say with a glare towards my friends, seething with anger. Yes, Sheldon said shit about how he used to beat Preston and all that. They asked, and I tried to explain as best I could while retaining Preston's dignity. They weren't supposed to come at him like _that._

"My dad beat on my mom like that for years, and that shit didn't end till she came at him with a fucking knife and went to _jail_." Says Nurf, arms folded defiantly. "How did you expect me to react?"

"Then you should know better than anyone how Preston would feel in that situation." I retort. "Besides, don't forget what happened with Nurf Jr. at camp."

Nurf looks hurt, tensing up as he fires back. "You know how I feel about that, Max. It never shoulda happened and of _course_ I'm thinkin' about that more than anything right now."

"Let's not fight, guys. Not like this." Says Nikki with an uncomfortable frown. "You two are just gonna say bad shit to each other 'till it blows up."

I take a deep breath. "I'm gonna go find Preston. Try to... Calm him down." I respond, turning and making my way out of the hall as the others try to cool their jets too.

 

* * *

 

 

Max is supposed to be my ride home tonight, and now I have no idea what to do as I slide down the wall at this little pocket in the side of the building and bury my face in my hands. Fuck, I'm shaking. I feel myself burn with embarrassment as I wipe my eyes. They probably think I'm weak and a liar. I was gonna tell them! Maybe! I just... Didn't want them to see me like that. As someone who allowed themselves to be pushed around. Because I'm not a pushover and there was a lot more going on than just him hitting me! I promised myself I wouldn't cry but look at me, shaking and crying as I desperately try to wipe my tears away. God, I'm pathetic.

"You should be scared." I hear, going wide-eyed and screaming as I feel his hand grab me by my hair and yank me upwards, pressing a knife to my throat as he pins me against the wall. Remembering the training I went through with Max, I place my hands over his as he grabs my hair and press down. Great. Now he can't pull me by the hair, but he's still got a fucking knife to my throat.

He's gotten uglier since I last saw him. More disheveled, hasn't shaved, bags under his eyes. His breath smells as he smiles and laughs. "You shoulda never fucked with me, Preston. Your so fuckin' stupid." He says, digging his knee into my thigh. I bite my lip and try to keep myself from crying out in pain.

I glare, spitting in his face in defiance. He releases his grasp on my hair to wipe the saliva off, giving me the chance to grab his arm- the one holding the knife to my throat- with both hands and push back as hard as I can. The second his knife is pulled away I scream as loud as I can and grab his wrist with all my strength.

"No. It's YOU who shouldn't have fucked with ME!" I shout, summoning all my rage, adrenaline and fear into a mighty shove as I push the back of the knife against his throat. " _Never_ come anywhere near me or anyone I know _again_." I say, before wrestling the knife from his grip.

As soon as I get the knife away, something hits Sheldon in the head with a mighty force and he slumps to the ground, unconscious.

I pant and shake, looking over my shoulder to see Max, paralyzed in shock. "Oh! My God! Max!"

He starts laughing hysterically before wrapping me up in a big hug and squeezing. "Preston, holy fuck! You did it! You scared him off for good!"

I blink a few times, before laughing myself and squeezing back. "Oh my _god!_ You're right! I did!"

The two of us laugh and spin, hugging each other, ecstatic as he kisses me. "You gonna drop the knife now?"

I laugh. "Oh my God! I didn't even realize I was still holding it!" I reply before dropping it to the ground.

Max smirks. "Mind if we take a detour on the way home?"

"Not at all." I reply with a giggle, the two of us hand-in-hand as we make our way back to the parking lot.

David soon arrives to pick us up, and Max leans up towards the driver's side window and whispers something to him before we pile into the car.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask with raised eyebrows and a smile.

"To somethin I'm pretty damn sure you wanna be apart of." Replies Max with a chuckle. "Close your eyes."

I oblige, covering my eyes for the rest of the ride until the car stops. Max takes my hand and walks me up the driveway before saying, "Okay, you can look now."

The site I behold is none other than all of our friends, just absolutely _wailing_ on Sheldon's house and car. My jaw drops in shock as I look around and observe that the whole damn _neighborhood_ is MIA.

"Neil sent them all bullshit texts and phonecalls about a fake party on the other side of town. Pretty cool, right?" Explains Max with a grin.

I clear my throat before shouting, as loud and as angry as possible, " _HEY!_ " And everyone stops what their doing to look at me.

"Are you guys fucking serious?" I ask, before dropping the act and grinning micheviously. "And you didn't invite _me?_ "

Everyone shouts in ecstatic excitement as Max hands me a crowbar and I go to town on Sheldon's prized Prius, tearing up his leather seats.

David just politely sits in the drivers seat of his car, pretending not to see anything as he disapprovingly scrolls through his phone. The rest of us, however, have the time of our fucking lives as Ered roasts smores over the fire we've started in Sheldon's living room. I'm laughing so hard that I'm crying, watching as my closest friends throw his toilet in the front yard, rip his possessions to shreds, _shit on his bed_ , and write cryptic shit all over the walls that are still standing.

"THE COPS ARE ON THEIR WAY, GUYS! HURRY UP!" Shouts Neil from beside David's car, on his phone.

"One more thing! Everyone who can fit get in the Prius, everyone else get in David's car and follow me!" Shouts Nikki.

We all comply, Ered driving the Prius to Nikki's instructions, half of us in one car and half in the other, as we follow her way out of town. It's fucking _midnight_ by the time we're on the old dirt road to Camp Campbell, and Max chuckles to himself.

"What the hell is she thinking?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, I sure am pumped!" Replies David excitedly, before resuming his frown and raised eyebrows. "Although, disappointed in the legality of this whole situation, however justified it may be."

We end up following Nikki all the way to a local cliff-side deep in the woods before she parks and we all pile out of our respective cars.

"Ered, hit the tunes!" Shouts Nikki, and Ered smirks before pulling out her phone and blasting _Teenagers_ by MCR as Nikki climbs in the front seat of the Prius.

"Nikki, what the hell're you doing!?" Shouts Max with a grin on his face at the pure chaos of it all.

"Just watch!" She replies, before firing up the car and dropping a cement block on the gas pedal. She then tucks and rolls, diving out of the car as the thing drives itself off the cliff side.

I _scream_ , it's the best damn thing I've ever seen. The car seems to go by in slow motion, all of us shouting as it tumbles off the cliff, getting more busted up by the second until it reaches the bottom and fucking _explodes_.

And then I see Max, in the light of the fire, laughing and smiling and having the time of his life. And being back here, at the old camp where I first developed feelings for him, launching the car of someone who hurt me into oblivion, the person he _saved me_ from, makes me grab him right then and there and pull him into a kiss and a passionate embrace.

The two of us kiss like we're dying, or meeting for the first time in years, cupping each other's faces. I imagined what my first 'I-love-you' moment would be like. That we would be in Paris or having a romantic dinner, but despite the fact that it's not conventional or cliche, it's amazing. It's better than that. It's unique and beautiful and I end up tripping over a small rock and falling backwards, Max falling with me, but it doesn't matter because the two of us are so fucking close and so in love and his lips taste like stars.

And then Nikki shouts out. "GAY!" Before tackling her girlfriend Nerris to the ground and doing the same to her.

Everyone's laughing and shouting.

"WE'RE ALL GAY!"

"YOU'RE ALL SO FUCKING GAY!"

I laugh, shouting over Max's shoulder. "WE'RE GAY AND IN LOVE!"

"LOVE SAVES THE DAY!"

"GAY LOVE SAVES THE DAY!"

And just like that, a painful chapter in my life has ended, while a unique, lovely, blossoming chapter in my life has begun. My wilting rose has been watered and revived again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic was rly fun to write!!! Unfortunately, tis the end.
> 
> But that doesn't necessarily mean the end of this specific highschool au! If your 17+ I have an nsfw maxpres fic of them senior year >_>
> 
> And I'm writing different fics for this au, featuring other characters! I'm writin some nikki/nerris next, an after that comes neil/harrison!
> 
> Also, p much all the other camp camp fics I've written are "canon" for things that happened in this au. Except for "The Smell of Chili and Rum", which I honestly don't think is one of my best works, and "I've Been Ghosting".
> 
> Also, feel free to write fics for this au!! Lol I'd love to read them an I might make um canon if I wanna >.>

**Author's Note:**

> next chapter comin SOOON BITCHES. Hope y'all enjoyed/are in pain.


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